Self-healing unmanned aerial vehicle skin for icing prevention and intelligent monitoring
Abstract In-flight icing is a common hazard in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), accounting for 25% of drone accidents due to their sensitivity to weight increase. Anti-icing technology for UAVs remains challenging because of their limited payload capacity and insufficient power to support electrothe...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | npj Flexible Electronics |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00434-3 |
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| Summary: | Abstract In-flight icing is a common hazard in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), accounting for 25% of drone accidents due to their sensitivity to weight increase. Anti-icing technology for UAVs remains challenging because of their limited payload capacity and insufficient power to support electrothermal deicing systems. In this study, a self-healing intelligent skin was developed for small-size smart devices, such as UAVs. It provides anti-icing and icephobic capabilities in addition to real-time monitoring of in-flight icing. This skin consists of five layers, including self-healing supramolecular elastomers and electrodes, with an encapsulation layer composed of a specially designed fluoropolymer to decrease the ice nucleation temperature (−28.4 °C) and ice adhesion strength (33.0 kPa). Notably, this skin can monitor ice accretion on the UAV surface in real time, and its sensing performance undergoes complete self-recovery after damage. This study paves the way for intelligent UAVs to operate safely under extreme weather conditions. |
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| ISSN: | 2397-4621 |