Ceramic-like coatings by sol gel: High performance and durable cleanability

 
Hybrid ceramic-like coatings by sol gel have been developed to offer durable anti-contamination properties for preserving laminar flow on aircrafts. The Sol-gel or « solution-gelification » process is based on the evolution from a sol to a gel state and the progressive formation of a 3D oxide coating network by hydrolysis and condensation reactions. By tailoring the sol-gel formulation (the nature, ratio of precursors, additives), the physicochemical properties and functionality have been adapted to assure anti-adhesion effect. Moreover, the adaptation of the coating chemistry was focused to resist to the extreme conditions of the aeronautical applications. The best coatings were tested under simulated environment (wind tunnel) and were retained for validation in real conditions (drone tests) in the frame of CHOPIN (CLEANSKY) project.