Effect of process parameters on properties of flame-sprayed icephobic polymer coatings

Thermal spraying involves potential coating technologies aimed to modify the surface properties of materials. This versatile technique represents a suitable solution to fulfil the requirements of several industrial applications, such as weathering and corrosion resistance, wear resistance, antifouling and anti-icing. In particular, the hydrophobic and slippery character of polymeric materials demonstrated the possibility of their application in reducing ice accumulation and adhesion on surfaces in outdoor conditions. Flame spraying of polymers has been performed successfully to obtain smooth and slippery coatings. However, fine tailoring of the process parameters is critical for each individual polymer, based on its unique thermal properties, to avoid its thermal degradation and the decrease of mechanical properties. In this work, the design of experiment for flame sprayed polymer coatings was carried out, focusing on the effect of process parameters on the coating properties, such as microstructure, wettability and roughness. These surface and structural properties influence on the icephobic characteristics of the coatings and therefore, this study evaluated the relationship between processing variables, coating properties and their performance in icing conditions.