Multifunctional coating with robust hydrophobic and photothermal conversion for efficient anti-icing and rapid de-icing on wind turbine blades

TY - JOUR

T1 - Multifunctional coating with robust hydrophobic and photothermal conversion for efficient anti-icing and rapid de-icing on wind turbine blades

AU - Gao, Han

AU - Zhao, Bo

AU - Cao, Shengxian

AU - Hong, Wenpeng

AU - Fang, Hairui

AU - Meng, Xin

AU - Ding, Wei

AU - Zhao, Qi

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

PY - 2026/6

Y1 - 2026/6

N2 - Icing on wind turbine blades is a critical factor affecting wind power efficiency and system safety. Traditional anti-icing and de-icing methods face challenges, such as high energy consumption, slow response, and significant safety risks, making it difficult to achieve the coordinated optimization of efficient anti-icing and rapid de-icing. To address these issues, this paper proposes a robust hydrophobic–photothermal composite coating system for wind turbine blades to prevent icing and facilitate self-de-icing. First, a composite dispersion process of hydrophobic silica nanoparticles and molybdenum disulfide photothermal microparticles is designed, constructing a low surface energy interface with a micro-nano rough structure via ultrasonic dispersion and spray curing. Second, a center composite design (CCD) response surface method is applied to optimize the coating formula, determining the optimal parameter combination of hydrophobic silica, molybdenum disulfide, and resin-to-hardener ratio. Experimental results show that the optimized coating achieves a water contact angle of (Formula presented), light absorption rate of 81.6%, dynamic ice accumulation weight of only (Formula presented), and a reduced de-icing time of 28 min under light exposure, with an icing force as low as (Formula presented). Field applications demonstrate that the coating can recover over 50% of power generation loss during winter icing periods, providing reliable technical support for efficient operation and safety monitoring of wind power systems.

AB - Icing on wind turbine blades is a critical factor affecting wind power efficiency and system safety. Traditional anti-icing and de-icing methods face challenges, such as high energy consumption, slow response, and significant safety risks, making it difficult to achieve the coordinated optimization of efficient anti-icing and rapid de-icing. To address these issues, this paper proposes a robust hydrophobic–photothermal composite coating system for wind turbine blades to prevent icing and facilitate self-de-icing. First, a composite dispersion process of hydrophobic silica nanoparticles and molybdenum disulfide photothermal microparticles is designed, constructing a low surface energy interface with a micro-nano rough structure via ultrasonic dispersion and spray curing. Second, a center composite design (CCD) response surface method is applied to optimize the coating formula, determining the optimal parameter combination of hydrophobic silica, molybdenum disulfide, and resin-to-hardener ratio. Experimental results show that the optimized coating achieves a water contact angle of (Formula presented), light absorption rate of 81.6%, dynamic ice accumulation weight of only (Formula presented), and a reduced de-icing time of 28 min under light exposure, with an icing force as low as (Formula presented). Field applications demonstrate that the coating can recover over 50% of power generation loss during winter icing periods, providing reliable technical support for efficient operation and safety monitoring of wind power systems.

KW - Anti-icing and de-icing

KW - Coating

KW - Photothermal composite

KW - Wind turbine blades

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105035651722

U2 - 10.1016/j.coldregions.2026.104900

DO - 10.1016/j.coldregions.2026.104900

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105035651722

SN - 0165-232X

VL - 247

JO - Cold Regions Science and Technology

JF - Cold Regions Science and Technology

M1 - 104900

ER -