Conductive graphene nanoribbon thin film as heat circuit for antennas and radomes

Anti-icing and de-icing heaters layers are frequently used in covers of large radio frequency (RF) equipment, such as radar or communication antennas, to prevent ice accumulation or completely remove it avoiding possible structure damage or service disruption. Typically the de-icing structures are produced using a metal framework and inorganic insulator and generally bulky, heavy and costly. In this report, we disclose a new de-icing heater layer composite made using graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). We demonstrate that the conductive GNR film is thin enough to be transparent for broadband RF signal of any polarization with minimal impact on antenna scan performance. This metal-free, ultra-light, robust and scalable graphene-based RF transparent conductive coating could significantly reduce the size and cost of de-icing/anti-icing coating and could be important in many aviation and military applications. This is a demonstration of the efficacy and applicability of graphene to afford performances unattainable by conventional materials.