Biomimetic stainlesss steel mesh with coral structure enables efficient photo-thermal effect

Photothermal superhydrophobic coatings offered dual functionality by enabling both passive anti-icing and active de-icing. However, their practical application was often limited by issues such as low efficiency and poor durability. In this study, we reported a highly efficient photothermal superhydrophobic coating with a coral-mimetic structure—referred to as MCNT-PS Coating—that was amenable to large-scale fabrication. The coating was constructed by cross-linking composite particles with a “particle-vine” structure via an amide reaction. Mimicking the natural growth of coral, a spraying method was employed to deposit a rough surface structure. The introduction of a phase separation process imparted the coating with hierarchical surface roughness, increasing both the distribution density and uniformity of coral-like microstructures. Simultaneously, a nanoporous network was formed, providing stable superhydrophobicity and multiple mechanisms for light absorption and reflection. The coating exhibited excellent static anti-icing performance, with a delayed freezing time at −15 °C that was 4.2 times longer than that of the bare substrate. Moreover, it showed extremely low ice adhesion of only 0.3 N under −20 °C conditions. Owing to its efficient photothermal response, the coating could rapidly heat to 49 °C within 10 s under standard solar irradiation (1000 W/m 2 ), reaching a saturation temperature of 95 °C within 180 s. Compared to the uncoated substrate, the MCNT-PS Coating demonstrated superior photothermal de-icing performance under low-temperature conditions, with a defrosting efficiency twice that of the original surface. In addition, the coating showed excellent durability and scalability, indicating strong potential for practical, large-scale applications in real-world environments.