Accumulation of ice on exposed engineering surfaces remains a major challenge in cold-environment applications, as it degrades aerodynamic performance, compromises operational safety, and increases maintenance and energy demands. The increasing use of lightweight composite structures and more-electric aircraft architectures has intensified the need for integrated, energy-efficient de-icing solutions that are compatible with non-metallic materials. In this context, carbon-based composites have attracted significant attention due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, inherent electrical conductivity, and adaptability to surface and multifunctional engineering. This review presents a comprehensive overview of recent developments in carbon-based composite de-icing technologies, with particular focus on the synergistic integration of passive icephobic characteristics and active electrothermal heating. The roles of carbon fibres and conductive carbon fillers, including carbon black and related nanomaterials, are examined with respect to electrical percolation behavior, Joule heating efficiency, thermal uniformity, and mechanisms governing ice adhesion reduction. Key material design parameters, performance evaluation metrics, durability considerations, and scalability challenges are critically discussed. Finally, the review outlines future research directions required to enable reliable, certifiable, and long-term deployment of carbon-based composite de-icing systems in aerospace and other demanding cold-region applications.
S et al. (Thu,) studied this question.