Solvent-free bottlebrush elastomer coatings with controllable architecture via one-step photopolymerization: Ultra-low ice adhesion and durable icephobicity

IF 7.3 2区材料科学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, APPLIED

Progress in Organic Coatings Pub Date : 2025-09-27 DOI:10.1016/j.porgcoat.2025.109696

Yongjie Gao , Ziheng Chen , Guorui Hu , Lingxiao Fei , Chang Liu , Rongliang Wu , Hui Zhang , Yu Ma

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Abstract

Interfacial icing at low temperatures presents significant challenges to the safe operation of infrastructure and energy systems in extreme environments. In this study, we report a solvent-free bottlebrush elastomeric icephobic coating fabricated via photoinitiated homolytic cleavage of cyclic disulfide bonds in lipoic acid (LA) under ambient conditions. A stepwise UV-curing process facilitates the in situ formation of coatings (≈150 μm thick) with low surface roughness (R_q < 2 nm) on diverse substrates, including glass, metal, etc. The dynamic disulfide bonds (SS) endow the coatings with UV-induced autonomous self-healing capability (repair efficiency >81 %) and thermally enabled recyclability. By modulating the molar ratio of lipoate silane ester (PDMS-LA) to ethyl lipoate (EL), we systematically investigate the effects of the degree of polymerization between crosslinks (n_x), side-chain spacing (n_g), and side-chain length (n_sc) on the elastomer's interfacial mechanical strength and surface properties. Experimental results reveal that bottlebrush elastomers with a high grafting density (n_g = 1, 2) and long side chains (n_sc = 67) exhibit enhanced chain mobility and a more pronounced disentanglement effect. Benefiting from the synergy between the low modulus and the dynamic surface layer, the coating achieves an ultra-low ice adhesion strength (τ_ice) of 12.2 ± 0.8 kPa, maintaining τ_ice below 13.9 kPa after 30 de-icing cycles. In summary, bottlebrush elastomer coatings are presented as a versatile platform for developing icephobic surfaces with ultra-low ice adhesion, durability, degradability, and recyclability, offering significant potential for practical icephobic applications.

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无溶剂瓶刷弹性体涂料，通过一步光聚合实现可控结构：超低冰附着力和持久的疏冰性

低温界面结冰对极端环境下基础设施和能源系统的安全运行提出了重大挑战。在这项研究中，我们报道了一种无溶剂瓶刷弹性疏冰涂层，该涂层在环境条件下通过硫辛酸（LA）的光引发均裂裂解环二硫键制备。逐步的紫外光固化工艺有助于在不同的基材（包括玻璃、金属等）上原位形成具有低表面粗糙度（Rq < 2nm）的涂层（≈150 μm厚）。动态二硫键（SS）使涂层具有紫外线诱导的自主自愈能力（修复效率>； 81%）和热回收能力。通过调节脂酸硅烷酯（PDMS-LA）与脂酸乙酯（EL）的摩尔比，我们系统地研究了交联聚合度（nx）、侧链间距（ng）和侧链长度（nsc）对弹性体界面机械强度和表面性能的影响。实验结果表明，高接枝密度（ng = 1,2）和长侧链（nsc = 67）的瓶刷弹性体表现出更强的链迁移率和更明显的解纠缠效应。得益于低模量和动态面层的协同作用，涂层的粘冰强度τ冰值达到了12.2±0.8 kPa，在30次除冰循环后τ冰值保持在13.9 kPa以下。综上所述，瓶刷弹性体涂层是一种多功能平台，可用于开发具有超低冰粘附性、耐久性、可降解性和可回收性的疏冰表面，为实际的疏冰应用提供了巨大的潜力。

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来源期刊

Progress in Organic Coatings 工程技术-材料科学：膜

CiteScore

11.40

自引率

15.20%

发文量

577

审稿时长

48 days

期刊介绍： The aim of this international journal is to analyse and publicise the progress and current state of knowledge in the field of organic coatings and related materials. The Editors and the Editorial Board members will solicit both review and research papers from academic and industrial scientists who are actively engaged in research and development or, in the case of review papers, have extensive experience in the subject to be reviewed. Unsolicited manuscripts will be accepted if they meet the journal''s requirements. The journal publishes papers dealing with such subjects as: • Chemical, physical and technological properties of organic coatings and related materials • Problems and methods of preparation, manufacture and application of these materials • Performance, testing and analysis.