Photothermal self-adaptive PSF-TO/PPy@BN dual-functional epoxy coating: Photothermally enhanced anti-icing and self-healing

This study presented a fabrication protocol for a multifunctional coating integrating photothermal responsiveness, self-lubrication, and self-healing properties. The coating was engineered by encapsulating tung oil (TO) within a polysulfone (PSF) matrix, leveraging the photothermal conversion capability of photothermal fillers to achieve localized thermal activation for on-demand lubricant release and crack repair. The PSF-encapsulated tung oil microcapsules (PSF-TO) and polypyrrole-coated boron nitride (PPy@BN) were uniformly dispersed in epoxy resin, followed by spin-coating or trickle-coating onto substrate surfaces. The coated substrate was thermally cured to form a robust composite film, with its photothermal performance, tribological performance, and self-healing capability systematically evaluated. The coating was able to reach a surface temperature of 83 °C under one sunlight intensity and was able to repair surface scratches within 155 s. At the same time, its delayed icing time can reach 380 s, and under a sunlight intensity, the surface icing can be melted and slipped off within 75 s. This work provided a scalable strategy for extreme mechanical environments, such as marine and aerospace applications.