Thermal transfer ‘Melt Mat’ clears snow from paths and driveways

Known as the Melt Mat, it consists of a thin sheet of aluminium spray-coated with an ultra-flat black paint. When draped over a snowbank, the Melt Mat absorbs energy from the sun’s rays at an accelerated rate, transferring the heat directly onto the highly-reflective snow. According to the study, which is published in the journal Langmuir, snowbanks can melt three times faster when a thermally absorptive blanket is placed on top.

"Generally, snow reflects about three-quarters of the sun's radiation back into the air, so it's actually really hard for the sun to melt a snowbank," said Jonathan Boreyko, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics and the team's faculty advisor."

“Even if temperatures are above freezing and the sun is out, the snow's surface just bounces most of the heat right off. That's the fundamental problem we're trying to address here."