Gentoo penguins inspire solution to ice build-up

Dealing with ice build-up typically depends on techniques that are time consuming, costly, and use a lot of energy along with various chemicals.

A solution could be found in Gentoo penguins, aquatic flightless birds that swim in the waters of the south polar region and have pelts that remain ice-free when the outer surface temperature is well below freezing.

“We initially explored the qualities of the lotus leaf, which is very good at shedding water but proved less effective at shedding ice,” said Anne Kietzig, an associate professor in Chemical Engineering at McGill and the director of the Biomimetic Surface Engineering Laboratory. “It was only when we started investigating the qualities of penguin feathers that we discovered a material found in nature that was able to shed both water and ice.”

“We found that the hierarchical arrangement of the feathers themselves provides water-shedding qualities, while their barbed surfaces lower the adhesion of ice,” added Michael Wood, a recent PhD graduate who worked with Kietzig and is a co-author of a new paper published in ACS Applied Material Interfaces. “We were able to replicate these combined effects through a laser-machined woven wire mesh.”