Soongsil University develops thin icephobic coating with 6.4 kPa adhesion
Engineers designed an ultra-thin polyborosiloxane coating that reduces ice adhesion by 98.6% while maintaining high substrate bonding.
A research team led by Professor Park Sung-hoon from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Soongsil University developed a durable, ultra-thin icephobic coating 
hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗. The findings were detailed via hani.co.kr following publication in Nature Communications. The material maintains ice-shedding capability at thicknesses dozens of times thinner than a human hair, addressing the mechanical durability trade-offs found in traditional de-icing surfaces hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗.
Dynamic bonds reduce ice adhesion
The coating utilizes polyborosiloxane (PBS), an elastomer with reversible dynamic molecular bonds integrated into a silicone polymer matrix hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗. When mechanical stress is applied, these reversible bonds break and reform, dissipating energy and redistributing stress. Consequently, the coating achieves an ice adhesion strength of approximately 6.4 kPa, which is roughly 98.6% lower than that of bare metal surfaces hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗. This enables ice shedding under minimal forces such as wind, gravity, or light vibration.
Simultaneously, the coating exhibits substrate adhesion strength approximately nine times higher than standard silicone-based films hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗. Because dynamic rearrangement prevents typical delamination, the layer maintained low ice adhesion throughout cyclic icing-deicing tests, abrasion trials, tape-peeling tests, and environmental degradation assessments hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗.
Industrial applications and scaling
Unlike soft polymer layers that lose functionality when applied as thin films, this formulation preserves its passive shedding properties at sub-hair thicknesses hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗. The coating can be deposited via standard industrial processes such as spray coating or dip coating, allowing application over large areas and complex geometries hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗.
Target use cases include aircraft surfaces, polar vessels, wind turbine blades, industrial heat exchangers, and commercial refrigeration units hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗. The material can also protect optical and sensing hardware, including autonomous vehicle radar, lidar units, and external surveillance systems, reducing reliance on high-energy thermal heaters hani.co.krhani.co.krhani.co.krOpen source ↗.
