Researchers Report Breakthrough In Ice-Repelling Materials

"Researchers from the University of Houston have reported a new theory in physics called stress localization, which they used to tune and predict the properties of new materials," reports Phys.Org. "Based on those predictions, the researchers reported in Materials Horizons that they have created a durable silicone polymer coating capable of repelling ice from any surface." The new research has huge implications for aircraft, power transmission lines, and more. From the report: Hadi Ghasemi, Bill D. Cook Assistant Professor of mechanical engineering at UH and corresponding author for the work, said the findings suggest a way to take trial and error out of the search for new materials, in keeping with the movement of materials science toward a physics-driven approach. "You put in the properties you want, and the principle will tell you what material you need to synthesize," he said, noting that the concept can also be used to predict materials with superb antibacterial or other desirable properties.

The new material uses elastic energy localization where ice meets the material, triggering cracks at the interface that slough off the ice. Ghasemi said it requires minimal force to cause the cracks; the flow of air over the surface of an airplane acts as a trigger, for example. The material, which is applied as a spray, can be used on any surface, and Ghasemi said testing showed it is not only mechanically durable and unaffected by ultraviolet rays -- important for aircraft which face constant sun exposure -- but also does not change the aircraft's aerodynamic performance. Testing indicates it will last for more than 10 years, with no need to reapply, he said.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Why can't you Slashdot people BAN the IP of these pieces of shit who continue clogging up the forum with UTTERLY IRRELEVANT posts ?

Or let me know their IP address and I'll take care of it.

Is this real?

[Mostly a lurker]

If so, this seems like Nobel Prize for Physics worthy, as well as having the potential to make some people extremely wealthy.

Re: Is this real?

[dbrueck]

Does this material actually exist and has it been tested? HELL NO

Hehe, in the time it took you to write your little rant, you could have clicked the link to the article and seen the nifty video showing the material being used.

Re:

[liquid_schwartz]

If so, this seems like Nobel Prize for Physics worthy, as well as having the potential to make some people extremely wealthy.

If only it worked that way. A CEO somewhere will give these guys an award and maybe a small bonus. The CEO will get 100x that.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Maybe rockets too?

[Spy Handler]

Ice falling off the liquid oxygen tank doomed one of the space shuttles, if I recall correctly.

Re:Maybe rockets too?

[AJWM]

Not quite. It was insulating foam falling off the tank.

Nobody thought that would be a problem, because foam, right? Unless that foam happens to get accelerated by a 500 MPH relative windstream.

Re:

[danbert8]

In which case ice still had nothing to do with it.

Re:

[quenda]

Also, imagine the benefits for North Atlantic shipping!

Most obvious use

[backslashdot]

Flying cars over Antarctica!

Neat!

[argStyopa]

It's pretty cool (intended), but honestly I'm more impressed at a spray-on coating that cannot be removed with sandpaper NOR FILE? What?

As far as the icephobic nature, I guess there are a few questions:
- cost (always)
- vulnerability to heat/long-term UV exposure/thermal expansion. Things that get covered in ice also (often) are exposed to the sun for long periods as well.
- effectiveness at various ranges of temperature and ice types - I can see this working well at a certain range of temps but there are so very many types of what we collectively call "ice"
- opacity? transparency could make it much more useful (icing windows are a HUGE issue in certain climates)

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:

[famebait]

That inventor refused to publish.
Patents require you to publish.
Patents exist precisely to avoid situations like this,
You are arguing FOR patents.

Re:

[BostonPilot]

The stuff you see them spray on the aircraft before takeoff is a glycol fluid, typically propylene glycol. Typically the hot stuff you see being sprayed on is Type 1 which is only good for about 5-15 minutes, so either the plane needs to be sprayed just before takeoff, or they'll also spray on a non-hot glycol fluid with a thickener in order to put a thick layer on the aircraft. That can then allow the aircraft to wait as long as 80 minutes before takeoff.

The Type 1 stuff costs between $5-$7 per gallon, so

Re:

[jbengt]

Anti-icing (Type 4) fluids that can help keep ice under control for longer aren't simply Type 1 glycol de-icing fluids with a thickener. They have to be shear-thinning fluids, with a high viscosity at rest, so they stay on the wing while waiting, but a low viscosity when the air rushes past, so the fluid slides off the wings on takeoff. This can be done with glycol-based polymer chains that tangle at rest, but straighten and align under shear forces, or side chains that break off easily under shear, or a

Re:

[Shotgun]

I can almost guarantee that your wrong.

I'd pay dearly to coat the inside of my airplane's carb, and just about every pilot I know would two. Carb ice is a big deal for general aviation aircraft, and many people are killed by it every year.

Re:

[DrSpock11]

To be fair, the application of sandpaper and file in the video were very light and wholly unscientific. I don't think lightly grazing the coating with sandpaper a few times is a really good indicator of its durability.

Repelling ice?

[LynnwoodRooster]

It's bad enough trying to drive on icy roads, now we have to drive on levitating ice over roads!

Christmas Vacation

[isny]

I seem to recall Clark Griswold working on just that type of spray on material.

Very valuable for aircraft

[joe_frisch]

If it works as described, and if the cost is reasonable, this would be fantastic for aircraft ice protection. Valuable for small planes that don't have de-ice heat, and for airliners to need less area covered with de-ice gear.

If it works. This type of success has been described before, so I'll wait a bit before I believe it. If it does really work though, its great .

Re:

[aberglas]

Absolutely. Ice is terrifying in a light aircraft or glider.

Re:

[Shotgun]

More important would be a coating for the inside of the carb. The ice there kills more people than ice on the wings.

Re:

[Shotgun]

If you had a single clue, you might hurt yourself with it.

Fuel injection requires a complex, failure-prone system, that is not called for in a system that almost exclusive uses three power settings. Carbs are much lighter and simpler.

Note: Ice repelling not the same as ice rappelling

[mnemotronic]

Note: Ice repelling not the same as Ice rappelling [youtu.be]. Sorry for the shaky video. Couldn't find a decent one of the Ben, Ames or Bridalveil.

I want that!

[DrTJ]

To apply on my car's windshield!

The ice sticks really hard when it is -10C or more.

Re: I want that!

[dskoll]

Right. Because removing 4mm of ice with windshield washer fluid is going to work really well. Not.

"No need to reapply"

[ortholattice]

"Testing indicates it will last for more than 10 years, with no need to reapply"

The bean counters aren't going to like that, so we'll probably never see this product. They'll come up with an "improved" version that will need to be reapplied frequently.

Re:

[NikeHerc]

I wonder what will happy [sic] when particles of this treatment make their way into the water cycle and eventually end up deposited on the world's ice sheets?

Sounds like the inverse of ice-nine. No happy outcome.

Two breakthroughs, not just one

[hackertourist]

the findings suggest a way to take trial and error out of the search for new materials, in keeping with the movement of materials science toward a physics-driven approach. "You put in the properties you want, and the principle will tell you what material you need to synthesize," he said, noting that the concept can also be used to predict materials with superb antibacterial or other desirable properties.

If this approach turns out to work for other material properties, we're in for a whole world of new materials.

What was on the paper towel?

[n2hightech]

In the first demo no paper towel "dried" the sample before being covered with water drops. In the coated demo suspiciously the sample is "dried" prior to adding and freezing the water. Just exactly why did it need to be dried? In the real world no one will be going around "drying" a surface after it is scraped and filed or basicly abused. To me this is the classic conjuring trick of misdirection being used to reapply a fresh supply of some agent to inhibit the water from bonding to the sample. Because of that the demo is totally unconvincing and suspicious to me. Show a sample with one half side sprayed on a fixed exposure spot outside during a snow and or ice storm. Same for a lab sample treated and exposed. Do the same to both sides in a way that cannot introduce something unknown into the demo.

Re: What was on the paper towel?

[dskoll]

The video did seem a little dubious.

energy saving

[kqc7011]

If (and its a big if) this becomes feasible then application to the cooling coils on refrigeration, freezer, air conditioning and dehumidification units will reduce the need for heating those coils to melt the ice that is formed. Look at the heating elements power consumption in your typical refrigerator to see how much energy is used to remove ice build up. Even being able to cut the units power usage by half would be a game changer in the HVAC and refrigeration industries.

10 Years after widespread use...

[anvilmark]

...research will show it causes cancer.

ICE REPELLING

[cstacy]

Already on Wikipedia!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]