Durable Epoxy‐Based Photothermal‐Superhydrophobic Coating: Achieving Sustainable Anti‐Icing Property and Efficient De‐Icing for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Applications

ABSTRACT In cold, humid conditions, icing poses a significant threat to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) safety, while conventional anti‐icing methods are often challenged by high energy consumption and system complexity. This study presents a photothermal superhydrophobic composite coating by dispersing the octadecylamine‐modified polydopamine‐coated graphene oxide (OA‐CP@GO) micro‐nanofillers within a fluorinated oligomer‐grafted epoxy resin (FEP). The resulting OA‐CP@GO/FEP composite coating exhibits a uniform concave–convex microstructure and maintains its superhydrophobicity after rigorous tests, including abrasion, sand impact, tape peeling, acid/base immersion, and UV exposure. At −20°C, the coating delays ice formation to 690 s, which vastly exceeds the performance of the untreated steel substrate (12 s). With infrared irradiation, the coating's surface temperature rises to 81.4°C within 400 s, reducing the ice melting time to 75 s. Applied to UAV wings, the coating significantly inhibits ice formation under simulated low‐temperature, high‐humidity conditions, demonstrating effective anti‐icing and de‐icing properties. This work provides a practical strategy for long‐term UAV operation in harsh environments.