Developments in Anti-Icing Coatings for Cold Environments

Dear Colleagues,

Anti-icing coating technology has attracted significant interest from both academia and industry, owing to its tremendous potential in ensuring the safe and efficient operation of critical infrastructure and equipment in cold environments. Its applications in fields such as wind turbine blades, high-voltage transmission lines, aerospace vehicles, and transportation facilities are crucial for preventing ice-related disasters, reducing de-icing energy consumption, and enhancing system reliability. Modern operational environments impose increasingly stringent demands on anti-icing performance: coatings must not only achieve efficient and rapid active or passive ice prevention/removal but also demonstrate long-term durability, environmental adaptability, mechanical robustness, and strong adhesion to substrates.

Addressing these challenges hinges on a deep understanding of the physicochemical mechanisms of ice prevention (e.g., freezing point depression, ice nucleation delay, low ice adhesion, photothermal/electrothermal conversion) and the development of advanced coating construction strategies based on this knowledge. Through rational material design, ingenious micro-nano structure fabrication, and innovative preparation techniques, the surface properties of coatings (such as superhydrophobicity, photothermal properties, electrothermal properties, and self-healing capabilities) can be precisely tailored to combat complex and variable real-world icing conditions. Concurrently, the development and evaluation of high-performance, long-lifetime anti-icing coatings capable of withstanding harsh operational conditions, including extreme cold, high humidity, strong UV radiation, and mechanical wear, have become a focal point and a significant challenge in current research.

This Special Issue aims to compile the latest research achievements in the field of anti-icing coatings, focusing on innovative design, preparation methods, performance mechanisms, and practical application assessments for cold environments. We welcome the submission of original research articles and reviews. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Development strategies and performance studies of anti-icing coatings for specific applications such as wind turbine blades, transmission lines, aircraft surfaces, and ships.
• The fabrication and mechanistic investigation of novel functional anti-icing coatings (e.g., photothermal, electrothermal, superhydrophobic, low-ice-adhesion, and phase-change-material coatings).
• Theoretical and experimental research on the anti-icing performance of coatings (e.g., ice nucleation delay time, ice adhesion strength, de-icing efficiency).
• Studies on the action mechanisms and stability of coatings with complex micro-nano structures during the ice prevention process.
• Evaluations of coating durability and reliability under simulated or real cold environments, including tests for anti-aging, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance.
• Advances in characterization techniques, in situ observation, and testing methods for anti-icing coatings.
• The development of ultra-resistant anti-icing coatings for extreme environments such as severe cold, high altitudes, and marine settings.
• Multi-scale modeling, simulation, and computational studies of the anti-icing performance of coatings.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and to advancing the progress and development of anti-icing coating technology together.

Dr. Meng Wu
Dr. Junxiu Chen
Guest Editors

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• anti-icing coatings
• mechanisms of ice prevention
• superhydrophobicity
• durability
• fabrication strategies