Wednesday, 26 May 4:00pm – 5:00pm

This seminar will be delivered via Zoom – Please email chemistry.researchsupport@sydney.edu.au for zoom link and password.

Speaker: Dr Elmar Bonaccurso; AIRBUS Central R&T

Host: Professor Chiara Neto

Title: Laser-treated Superhydrophobic Surfaces to Reduce Ice Build-up in Aeronautical Applications

Abstract: Ice build-up on the surface of aircraft can severely impact the performance and safety. Currently, the strategies used to prevent ice build-up, for example de-icing fluids, are expensive and not environmentally-friendly. Surface microstructuring can create icephobic surfaces which reduce the formation and adhesion of ice on aircraft surfaces. Superhydrophobic surface textures which replicate surfaces from nature like the lotus leaf perform well in this way.

In this talk, the use of short and ultrashort pulsed lasers is shown to represent a viable technology to impart alloys commonly used in the aerospace industry with various functions including icephobicity.

Bio: Elmar Bonaccurso is Senior Scientist for Aerodynamic Efficient Surface Technologies at Airbus Central R&T. He previously was Research Group Leader at Centre of Smart Interfaces of TU Darmstadt and Group Leader at Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. He is Affiliate Professor at Concordia University in Montreal and a member of the Executive Board of the EU Graphene Flagship.