Tailoring ice-phobicity and weather durability of silicone–acrylic hybrid coatings for cold-climate wind-energy systems

Atmospheric icing on wind-turbine blades operating in cold regions leads to aerodynamic losses, increased structural loading, operational shutdowns, and elevated maintenance costs. In this study, durable silicone–acrylic hybrid coatings were developed and evaluated as passive ice-mitigation materials for wind-energy infrastructures exposed to severe cold-climate conditions. Two commercial silicone–acrylic resins (RESIN-24 and RESIN-96), differing in siloxane, phenyl, and acrylic composition, were formulated using two curing systems, namely aminosilane KH550 and polyisocyanate N75, at concentrations ranging from 0 to 9 wt%.The relationships between resin chemistry, network structure, surface characteristics, and icephobic performance were investigated through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface profilometry, pendulum hardness, and cross-cut adhesion analyses. Wettability, contact-angle hysteresis, and ice-adhesion behavior were subsequently correlated with coating composition and curing chemistry. In addition, accelerated ultraviolet weathering was conducted to assess long-term environmental durability relevant to cold-region outdoor applications.Among the investigated systems, modified RESIN-24 consistently exhibited lower wettability, higher water-contact angles, and lower contact-angle hysteresis than RESIN-96 under comparable roughness conditions. The curing chemistry strongly influenced coating performance, with KH550 producing more favorable and durable networks than N75. The optimized RESIN-24/KH550 formulation containing 6 wt% curing agent achieved an ice adhesion strength of approximately 11.8 kPa in push-off tests and maintained stable performance over 50 icing/de-icing cycles without delamination or cohesive failure. Furthermore, the coating preserved its color stability after 3000 h of UV exposure and exhibited approximately three times lower dynamic ice adhesion than bare A6061 aluminum in centrifugal adhesion testing.The results demonstrate that silicone–acrylic hybrid coatings, particularly RESIN-24/KH550 (6 wt%), are promising scalable solutions for mitigating atmospheric icing on wind-energy infrastructures operating in cold climates. The combination of low ice adhesion, environmental durability, and mechanical stability highlights their potential for cold-regions engineering applications.