New Material Could Make Aircraft Deicers a Thing of the Past
SAN DIEGO — Instead of applying a deicing agent to strip ice from an aircraft’s wings before stormy winter takeoffs, airport personnel could in the future just watch chunks slide right off without lifting a finger. Scientists report they have developed a liquid-like substance that can make wings and other surfaces so slippery that ice cannot adhere. The slick substance is secreted from a film on the wing’s surface as temperatures drop below freezing and retreats back into the film as temperatures rise.
The researchers presented their work at the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), which featured more than 12,500 presentations on a wide range of science topics.