Polyurea Coatings Based on a Dynamic Crosslinked Phase-Locked Network for Dynamic/Static Icing and Corrosion Protection

Surface icing and corrosion considerably reduce the operational safety of offshore wind turbines and can be mitigated through the use of lubricant-infused surfaces, which, however, often suffer from severe performance degradation under real-world conditions and lack long-term durability. Herein, this work prepares polyurea coatings based on a dynamic crosslinked phase-locked network and show that the alternating arrangement of strong and weak hydrogen bonds between the urea units facilitates the capture and storage of the liquid phase (silicone oil), while the affinity and associative interactions between this phase and polydimethylsiloxane segments ensure strong adhesion and integration. The best-performing coating exhibits good dynamic/static anti-icing properties (freezing delay time = 331 s, temperature of first ice nucleation = −24.6 °C, ice shear strength = 19.9 ± 3.3 kPa) according to the results of ice crystal growth simulations and wind tunnel tests while showing an exceptional anti-corrosion performance (low-frequency modulus (|Z|_0.01 Hz) = 4.22 × 10¹⁰ Ω·cm²) and durability. Thus, this study presents a strategy for enhancing the ability of offshore wind turbines to withstand extreme environments and extending their service lifetimes.