Impact of Graphene Aspect Ratio on Electrical, Icephobic, and Durability Properties of Multifunctional Polymer Composite Coatings

ABSTRACT Electrothermal polymer coatings comprising conductive nanofillers are gaining significant attention in several technological fields like aerospace, wind turbines, automobiles, medical, and wearable electronics. In this work, a novel electrothermal nanocoating has been prepared with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) of two different aspect ratios (1.5, 1.05) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles. The bilayer nanocoatings consist of an approximately 13‐μm thick anti‐icing layer made using PTFE & an additive on top of an electrothermal rGO‐epoxy layer, approximately 90 μm thick. The bilayer nanocoatings (1 wt.% with 5% PTFE) significantly lower ice adhesion on the substrate from 160 kPa to 42 kPa, demonstrating their excellent anti‐icing property. Joule heating experiments show that incorporating a higher aspect ratio rGO can increase temperatures as high as 63.3°C with a low voltage of 30 V. There was a temperature difference of ~7.4°C across the 13 μm thick layer. The top layer exhibited superior superhydrophobicity with a static water contact angle of 151° and facilitated quick de‐icing in only 60 s. This work underscores the crucial role of the aspect ratio of rGO in the performance of self‐heating epoxy‐rGO coatings for de‐icing and ice prevention applications, particularly in the context of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This study highlights the potential for these bilayer coatings as energy‐efficient, high‐performance solutions for mitigating ice formation in cold environments.