Transparent anti-icing coatings

A transparent anti-icing coating comprising a plurality of layers, wherein each layer includes:

• (a) a substantially continuous matrix comprising a hardened material;
• (b) asymmetric templates, dispersed within said matrix, that inhibit wetting of water, wherein said asymmetric templates have a length scale from about 10 nanometers to about 300 nanometers, and wherein said asymmetric templates, at a surface of said continuous matrix, create surface roughness that has an average length scale between about 10 nanometers to about 500 nanometers;
• (c) porous voids surrounding at least a portion of said asymmetric templates, wherein said porous voids have a length scale from about 15 nanometers to about 500 nanometers;
• and
• (d) nanoparticles, dispersed within said matrix, that inhibit heterogeneous nucleation of water, wherein said nanoparticles have an average size from about 5 nanometers to about 50 nanometers,
• wherein the ratio of average refractive index of said asymmetric templates to the average refractive index of said continuous matrix is between about 0.8 to about 1.2,
• and wherein said coating is characterized by a coating transparency of at least 70% average light transmission at wavelengths in the range of 400 nm to 900 nm.