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Rose petal-inspired coating cuts ice adhesion on glass
A new UV-curable biomimetic coating combining fluorinated polysiloxane/polyurea with Al₂O₃ microspheres delivers strong passive anti-icing performance while maintaining high optical transmittance. The system is designed for transparent components such as aircraft windshields, UAV sensor windows and solar panels.
The inherent trade-off between anti-icing performance and optical transparency, combined with limited environmental durability, has long restricted the use of anti-icing coatings on transparent surfaces. To address this, researchers developed a multifunctional biomimetic coating that integrates efficient passive anti-icing capability, robust durability and high optical transmittance. A UV-curable fluorinated polysiloxane/polyurea (FPSU) resin serves as the polymer matrix, achieving a surface energy of 21.19 mN·m⁻¹, a tensile strength of 2.28 MPa, an elongation at break of 468.61 % and a transmittance of 94.07 % at 589 nm.
Al₂O₃ microspheres were applied by spray-coating, with simultaneous resin crosslinking and microstructure anchoring achieved through in situ UV curing. The resulting FPSUA coating mimics the surface topography of rose petals.
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Strong anti-icing performance and proven durability
The FPSUA coating reached a static water contact angle of 158.22° and a sliding angle of 5.45°. On glass substrates, freezing time increased from 25 s for uncoated samples to 618 s, while ice adhesion strength dropped from 357.96 kPa to 18.94 kPa. Across four different substrates, freezing times ranged from 456 to 618 s and ice adhesion from 18.94 to 31.86 kPa, with stable performance maintained after 20 freeze-thaw cycles.
Following exposure to sand impact, sandpaper abrasion, alcoholysis and freeze-thaw cycling, the static contact angle remained above 150° and the sliding angle stayed below 11.49°. The coating exhibited a refractive index of 1.432 and a transmittance of 80.32 % at 589 nm. According to the authors, the system shows clear potential for anti-icing and de-icing applications on transparent components, including aircraft windshields, UAV sensor windows and solar panels.
Source: Liu, J. et al., UV-curable biomimetic fluorinated polysiloxane/polyurea–Al₂O₃ coating with outstanding anti-icing performance, durability, and optical transparency. Progress in Organic Coatings, 110129 (2026).
