Durable low ice adhesion foams modulated by submicron pores

Abstract

Ice accretion is a severe challenge for both production and livelihood in cold regions. Previously reported high-performance icephobic surfaces by infusing lubricants are either temporarily icephobic, chemically unstable or mechanically weak. Herein, we report the design and fabrication of submicron porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, Sylgard 184 with weight ratio 10:1) foams based chemically stable and mechanically robust icephobic materials. The relationship between the ice adhesion strength and porosity is revealed. Without any surface additives and lubricants as well as sacrificing the crosslinking density of elastomeric foam, the stable ice adhesion strength of the submicron porous foam reaches 16.8 ± 5.8 kPa after 50 icing/deicing cycles. In addition, the icephobic foams show excellent chemical stability and mechanical robustness, and the ice adhesion strengths are all less than 30.0 kPa after acid/base/salt/organic solvent corrosion and 1000 abrasion cycles. The submicron porous elastomeric strategy opens up a new avenue for high-performance durable icephobic materials with excellent stability and robustness.