Design and Research of an Aircraft Ice Control System Based on Multilayer Functional Film

Abstract

Aiming to address the challenges of high energy consumption and low efficiency associated with current aircraft deicing or anti-icing systems, this study presents an innovative ice control system based on a multilayer functional film. The multilayer functional film utilizes carbon nanotube film as the electrothermal substrate, incorporates cobalt (Co) for its photothermal properties and silicon dioxide (SiO₂) for enhancing surface roughness and light trapping, thereby constructing a photothermal superhydrophobic surface, referred to as PCoSi-PCNT, and integrates capacitive icing sensors, temperature sensors, and humidity sensors. The deicing or anti-icing controller processes data to detect icing status and regulate the electrically heated deicing or anti-icing system. The results demonstrate that the photothermal superhydrophobicity of the multilayer functional film surface significantly delays icing. Notably, a 30 μL droplet was completely iced for 563 s at an ambient temperature of −15 °C, while the surface temperature rises to 67.3 °C at a light intensity of 100 mW cm⁻². The deicing or anti-icing controller accurately detects changes in capacitance during the icing process of surface water droplets and activates electric heating in real time. With the continuous operation of the electric heating system, the surface temperature is consistently maintained between 42 and 55 °C. This system achieves efficient deicing or anti-icing with minimal energy consumption, offering a promising solution for aircraft deicing or anti-icing applications.