Transparent Fluorine-Free Superhydrophobic Coating with Enhanced Anti-Icing Performance

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Surface Coatings and Corrosion, Institute for Color, Science and Technology, P.O. Box: 16765-654, Tehran, Iran

10.30509/jcst.2026.167881.1293

Abstract

Fluorine-free superhydrophobic coatings that combine optical transparency with durable anti-icing performance remain challenging to develop. In this study, a coating based on an alkoxysilane binder, fumed silica nanoparticles, and methyl-triethoxysilane (MTES) was prepared by two-stage spray coating. MTES was incorporated to promote interfacial coupling between the nanoparticles and the binder; however, its independent contribution was not isolated using a methyltriethoxysilane-free control. The coating exhibited a water contact angle of 169° and approximately 83% optical transmittance in the visible range. It retained its superhydrophobicity after water-jet exposure, 30 tape-peeling cycles, and 20 sandpaper-abrasion cycles. Superhydrophobicity was also retained after 28 h of immersion in the tested contaminant suspensions and acidic and alkaline solutions. Self-cleaning behavior was observed under both wet and dry contamination conditions. In the push-off test, ice adhesion strength increased from 13.1 to 15.7 kPa after 15 freeze–thaw cycles, corresponding to an increase of approximately 18 %. These findings demonstrate the coating's combined water-repellent, self-cleaning, and icephobic performance under the tested conditions. Further controlled and long-term aging studies are required to determine the contribution of methyltriethoxysilane and assess suitability for practical applications.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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