Ultralong Inhibition of heterogeneous ice nucleation by robust Anti-Freezing coating with Self-Lubricating ionic salts layer

In order to reduce the detrimental effects arising from ice formation on surfaces, we designed a robust polyurethane (PU) coating that was covalently crosslinked with quaternary ammonium salt (QAS)-modified fluorosiloxanes. With such a coating, surface ice formation could be delayed by as long as 65.0 ± 1.5 min, and ice adhesion strength could be lowered to 30 ± 7 kPa at −15 °C. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the ultralong icing phenomenon could be attributed to the destruction of hydrogen bonds among water molecules due to QAS becoming enriched on the coating surface, which we defined as the “ion-induced icing delay”. Moreover, the modified PU coating exhibited superior self-renewability since the internally self-assembled nanopools (10 ∼ 100 nm) could provide a continuous supply for a regenerative self-lubricating ionic salt layer (SISL), as was visually observed by confocal microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The excellent anti-freezing capabilities, as well as the desirable all-in-one properties including transparency, chemical resistance, and regenerability, ensure that the SISL-PU coating system is a promising candidate for applications in areas such as public transportation, social infrastructure, and energy networks.