Transparent Silicone–Epoxy Coatings with Enhanced Icephobic Properties for Photovoltaic Applications

Recently, the photovoltaic technology has become very popular as a means to produce renewable energy. One of the problems that are still unsolved in this area of the industry is that photovoltaic panels are subject to a significant loss of efficiency due to the accumulation of dust and dirt. In addition, during the winter season, the accumulation of snow and ice also reduces or stops the energy production. The current methods of dealing with this problem are inefficient and pollute the environment. One way with high potential to prevent the build-up of dirt and ice is to use transparent coatings with self-cleaning and icephobic properties. In this work, the chemical modification of an epoxy–silicone hybrid resin using dually functionalized polysiloxanes was carried out. The icephobic properties (ice adhesion and freezing delay time of water droplets), hydrophobic properties (water contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, and roll-off angle), average surface roughness, and optical properties were characterized. It can be concluded that the performed chemical modification resulted in a significant improvement of the icephobic properties of the investigated coatings: ice adhesion decreased by 69%, and the freezing delay time increased by 17 times compared to those of the unmodified sample. The polysiloxanes also caused a significant reduction in the contact angle hysteresis and roll-off angle. The chemical modifications did not negatively affect the optical properties of the coatings, which is a key requirement for photovoltaic applications.