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Unlike the conventional bleed-air method, using electro-thermal anti-/de-icing methods to completely evaporate all of the supercooled water droplets that collide with the leading edge wing surface of aircraft flying in a freezing environment is not easy in terms of technical feasibility and energy efficiency[1]. If the leading edge is warm enough to stay free from frozen water droplets, the water moves backward while still maintaining the liquid phase. The droplets may freeze somewhere on an unheated surface after being halted for some reason and stick on the surface. Ice gradually accumulates as this process is repeated. Therefore, liquid water must be removed from the surface as soon as possible if the electrothermal method is employed for icing prevention. One answer to this problem is coating the surface with a superhydrophobic paint.

Anti- or de-icing of an aircraft is necessary for a safe flight operation. Mechanical processes, such as heating and deicer boot, are widely used. Deicing fluids, such as ethylene glycol, are used to coat the aircraft. However, these should be coated every time before the take-off, since the fluids come off from the aircraft while cruising. We study a hydrophobic coating as an anti-icer for an aircraft. It is designed to coat on the aircraft without removal. Since a hydrophobic coating prevents water by reducing the surface energy, it would be an alternative to prevent ice on the aircraft. We provide a temperature-controlled room, which can control its temperature under icing conditions (-10 to 0 °C). The contact angle and the sliding angle are tested for various hydrophobic coatings. Candidate coatings are tested under super-cooled water spraying and under the representative in-flight icing conditions.