Study of ice accumulation on nanocomposite semiconducting coatings

Nanocomposite materials are attracting the attention of many researchers in the field of dielectric and electrical insulation. In this paper, we produced a dielectric coating on a glass surface by incorporating ZnO nanoparticles into RTV silicone rubber. Different concentrations of nanofiller (up to 40 % ZnO) were investigated. Physicochemical characterization of these coatings was performed using SEM and water contact angle (WCA). The influence of the nanofiller concentration in a specific frequency range (40 Hz to 2 MHz) on the dielectric behavior of the nanocomposites was analyzed as well. The results showed that the dielectric constant of nanocomposites increases with the ZnO weight content. Then, ice was accreted on the surfaces to evaluate the minimum energy required to prevent ice accumulation based on the Joule heating effect. The results are discussed and emphasis is placed on the semiconducting properties influencing ice accumulation.