£1.4 million funding for research on wind turbine and aircraft coatings

From wind turbines exposed to freezing weather to aircraft operating at altitude, ice presents a persistent challenge for engineering structures. Researchers are developing a new approach to ice protection that could help tackle the problem while reducing reliance on environmentally persistent fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS or forever chemicals. 

The research will investigate a new generation of ultra-slippery, liquid-like coatings designed to work alongside specially engineered micro- and nanostructured surfaces and active ice protection technologies. The goal is to create durable, energy-efficient ice protection systems that can be applied to engineering materials, including glass, aluminium and epoxy-based composites. By combining advances in surface chemistry, materials engineering and active ice removal, the project aims to open up new possibilities for protecting critical technologies in some of the world’s most challenging environments. 

Project lead, Professor Glen McHale said, 

The risks from the build-up of ice on external surfaces from energy transmission structures to wind turbines and aircraft wings, presents real and substantial dangers. I am delighted our team will be able to address this challenge while using hybrid approaches which seek to minimize the risk to the environment from forever chemicals.

The project is supported by £1.4 million funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), bringing together expertise in surface science, materials engineering and ice protection from the University of Edinburgh and Northumbria University to advance next-generation ice protection technologies. The team includes Professor Glen McHale, Project Lead, alongside Professor Dipa Roy and Dr Gary Wells, at the University of Edinburgh, with Professor Richard Yongqing Fu, lead at Northumbria University along with Professor Hamdi Torun and Dr Prashant Agrawal.