Work

Thickness-invariant, durable and strongly adherent icephobic coatings via dynamic polyborosiloxane crosslinking

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Ice accumulation poses severe hazards to transportation, energy systems, and infrastructure. Icephobic coatings, defined as surfaces with ice adhesion below 100 kPa, often suffer from poor durability, weak adhesion, or thickness dependence that limits scalability. Here, we harness the stress-dissipative nature of dynamic polyborosiloxane networks to overcome these limitations. However, their role in ice detachment through interfacial stress dissipation remains unclear. We design a robust, adherent coating that overcomes conventional thickness-adhesion scaling. The polyborosiloxane network, formed by reaction of boric acid with hydroxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, incorporates reversible B-O-Si bonds that reform under stress, dissipating energy while preserving structural integrity. Blending polyborosiloxane with polydimethylsiloxane and silicone oil yields a two-step ice release: interfacial sliding by chain mobility, then stress relaxation through bond dissociation. Consequently, the resulting coating exhibits low ice adhesion ( ~ 6.4 kPa), thickness-invariant performance down to 2 µm, and strong bonding ( ~ 9× higher lap-shear strength than polydimethylsiloxane), overcoming the durability-adhesion tradeoff. The coating retains performance under repeated icing/de-icing, abrasion, and extreme pH. This work establishes dynamic polyborosiloxane networks as a scalable design principle for durable icephobic surfaces.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-77081-3

Authors: Kun-Woo Nam, Sung-Hoon Park

Institution: Soongsil University

Language: English

Topic: Icing and De-icing Technologies

Subfield: Aerospace Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,990

Funders: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning