Anti-sand erosion and anti-icing coating for leading edge of airfoil based on silicone modified polyurethane elastomer

The anti-sand erosion and anti-icing coating technique is highly demanded in the leading edge of the airfoil surface. Herein, an anti-sand erosion and anti-icing coating (Si-PUEc) based on the silicone-modified polyurethane elastomer (Si-PUE) was fabricated and its hydrophobicity, tensile property, sand erosion resistance and anti-icing performance were investigated. The polyurethane elastomer was synthesized by a polyaddition reaction of hydroxy-terminated polyolefin resin and polyolefin resin as soft segments with isophorone diisocyanate and 1,4-butanediol as hard segments. The research results show that the Si-PUEc with a high water contact angle (WCA) of 108° exhibits a weak ice adhesion strength of 68.04 kPa, less than a third of that of the original bare aluminum plate surface (235.26 kPa). Moreover, the tensile strength of Si-PUEc is 14.03 MPa and the elongation at break is 370%, showing excellent tensile properties. After the sand and dust test, the surface of Si-PUEc is intact, without damage, cracking and other defects of the film, and the WCA remains at 108°. Before and after the damp-heat test, the hydrophobic performance, anti-icing performance, and stress-strain performance of Si-PUEc are not changed significantly. The distinctive composition and morphology of the polyurethane elastomer serves as the key that opens up a new strategy to design hydrophobic coatings for robust and durable anti-sand erosion and anti-icing coating applications in the leading edge of the airfoil surface.