Project looks at natural world to manipulate ice and snow

It is hoped that the University of Michigan (U-M)-led study will lead to the development of non-toxic materials that keep solar panels and airplane wings ice-free, or protect first responders from frostbite.

The project includes researchers from Raytheon Technologies, North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota.

Existing materials used to prevent freezing can have a negative environmental impact; road salts prevent pavements and streets from freezing but also corrode concrete and enter natural freshwaters through runoff.

Similarly, spraying planes with de-icing fluids ensures that winter flights stay safe, but the chemicals in such fluids are toxic and can also pollute waterways. Some of what the researchers aim to make with the up to $11.5m project has no current analogue, like a lotion that protects from frostbite without heavy winter layers.

"For the past seven or eight years now, my group has been making surfaces that have very low adhesion to ice. Such ice-shedding coatings can be very useful for a number of applications such as wind turbines, power lines or airplane wings," said Anish Tuteja, the project's principal investigator and a professor of materials science and engineering at U-M. "However, for many other applications, it would be beneficial to completely eliminate ice formation. Preventing ice formation for hours on end in freezing conditions has thus far been very challenging to achieve."