title: Temperature-Dependent Deicing Properties of Electrostatically Anchored Branched Brush Layers of Poly(ethylene oxide).
abstract: The hydration water of hydrophilic polymers freezes at subzero temperatures. The adsorption of such polymers will result in a hydrophilic surface layer that strongly binds water. Provided this interfacial hydration water remains liquidlike at subzero temperatures, its presence could possibly reduce ice adhesion, in particular, if the liquidlike layer is thicker than or comparable to the surface roughness. To explore this idea, a diblock copolymer, having one branched bottle-brush block of poly(ethylene oxide) and one linear cationic block, was electrostatically anchored on flat silica surfaces. The shear ice adhesion strength on such polymer-coated surfaces was investigated down to -25 °C using a homebuilt device. In addition, the temperature dependence of the ice adhesion on surfaces coated with only the cationic block, only the branched bottle-brush block, and with linear poly(ethylene oxide) was investigated. Significant ice adhesion reduction, in particular, at temperatures above -15 °C, was observed on silica surfaces coated with the electrostatically anchored diblock copolymer. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements on bulk polymer solutions demonstrate different thermal transitions of water interacting with branched and linear poly(ethylene oxide) (with hydration water melting points of about -18 and -10 °C, respectively). This difference is consistent with the low shear ice adhesion strength measured on surfaces carrying branched bottle-brush structured poly(ethylene oxide) at -10 °C, whereas no significant adhesion reduction was obtained with linear poly(ethylene oxide) at this temperature. We propose a lubrication effect of the hydration water bound to the branched bottle-brush structured poly(ethylene oxide), which, in the bulk, does not freeze until -18 °C.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Surface and Corrosion Science, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology , Drottning Kristinas väg 51, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Golrokh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heydari
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Surface and Corrosion Science, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology , Drottning Kristinas väg 51, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tyrode
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Chemistry, Vilnius University , Naugarduko 24, LT-03225 Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Ceslav
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Visnevskij
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Chemistry, Vilnius University , Naugarduko 24, LT-03225 Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Ricardas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Makuska
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Surface and Corrosion Science, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology , Drottning Kristinas väg 51, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden.|Chemistry, Materials and Surfaces, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden , Box 5607, SE-114 86 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Per M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Claesson