All-weather transparent MXene-based dynamic de-icing membrane with multi-field coupling

Ice accretion poses serious risks to transportation safety, energy efficiency, and the reliability of transparent electronic systems in cold environments. Developing transparent anti-/de-icing interfaces that simultaneously combine passive ice-delay, active thermal de-icing, low ice adhesion, and electromagnetic protection remains challenging because optical transparency, energy conversion, and interfacial ice regulation are often mutually constrained. Here, we report a function-decoupled yet synergistically coupled transparent composite membrane (MSP) constructed from PET/MXene/SiO₂-PDMS brushes. In this architecture, the aligned Ti₃C₂T_x MXene layer serves as an energy-conversion and EMI-shielding layer, enabling efficient photothermal conversion, low-voltage Joule heating, and an EMI shielding effectiveness up to 37.8 dB in the X-band, while the SiO₂-PDMS molecular-brush layer provides a low-surface-energy, low-adhesion interface for delayed freezing and rapid ice release. The MSP membrane maintains a visible transmittance above 65%, a water contact angle of approximately 161°, and a sliding angle of approximately 1.1°. Ambient-condition photothermal/electrothermal temperature-time curves confirm the intrinsic energy-conversion capability and thermal uniformity of the MXene network, whereas low-temperature tests directly validate the practical anti-/de-icing performance. Specifically, the freezing time of water droplets is prolonged to approximately 165 s at -25 °C, and ice blocks can be removed under 1-sun irradiation or 3 V electrothermal input in a -30 °C environment. The membrane also exhibits reduced ice-adhesion strength and retains stable electrical, wetting, and electrothermal performance after repeated bending. This work provides a transparent multi-field-coupled interface design that integrates active heat generation and passive interfacial ice regulation for low-energy anti-/de-icing and electromagnetic protection in cold environments.