Say goodbye to scraping ice off your windscreen! Frost resistant material keeps surfaces 90 per cent clear without any chemicals

  • Expert built a pattern of tiny grooves into the surface of their aluminium material
  • The protective material has rows where small strips of ice are allowed to form
  • These ‘sacrificial’ ice rows create low pressure in the surrounding grooves 
  • This sucks moisture from the air onto the ice keeping other areas free of frost 

Ice on windscreens and plane wings could become a thing of the past thanks to an invention that repels ice without heat or chemicals.

By building a pattern of tiny grooves into the surface that needs to be protected, surface ice is reduced by 90 per cent.

Ice building up on windscreens in winter is a huge source of nuisance to drivers – and a potential source of danger.

Whether the motorists scrapes it off, pours boiling water on it or blasts it with chemicals, it is a chore for most.

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Ice on windscreens and plane wings could become a thing of the past thanks to an invention that repels ice without heat or chemicals (stock image)

Ice on windscreens and plane wings could become a thing of the past thanks to an invention that repels ice without heat or chemicals (stock image)

CHEMICAL FREE ANTI FREEZE 

Experts from Virginia Tech built a pattern of tiny grooves into the surface that needs to be protected, reducing surface ice by 90 per cent.

The surface has been created using aluminium. A microscopic array of elevated grooves on the surface creates tiny strips where small strips of ice form.

This ‘sacrificial’ ice creates low pressure in the surrounding grooves – and sucks moisture from the air onto the ice stripe, keeping overlapping areas free of frost even in humid, sub freezing conditions.

These sacrificial ice stripes make up only 10 percent of the material's surface area, leaving the remaining 90 per cent completely dry.

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Anti-freeze chemicals are often poisonous – and a hazard to the environment in waterways.

And in airports, huge amounts of chemicals are used in keeping wings clear from ice, which can stop planes taking off.

It can take thousands of gallons of anti-freeze sprayed on an aeroplane to rid a wing of ice.

The new discovery by scientists at Virginia Tech in the US is an anti-ice surface that remains 90 per cent ice free without chemicals or heating.

The research demonstrates how a passive anti-ice surface can work – and keep surfaces almost entirely frost free without energy or chemicals.

Farzad Ahmadi, a doctoral student at Virginia Tech’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics said: ‘Frosting is a big issue, and researchers have been working to solve this problem for years

By building a pattern of tiny grooves into the surface that needs to be protected (pictured), surface ice is reduced by 90 per cent

By building a pattern of tiny grooves into the surface that needs to be protected (pictured), surface ice is reduced by 90 per cent

Traditional approaches to frost have relied on the application of antifreeze chemicals or energy inputs, like heat. 

Even the age-old method of throwing salt down on roadways is essentially a chemical treatment.

Other recent advances include special coatings for surfaces that prevent frost formation, but these coatings aren't durable and tend to wear off easily.

Mr Ahmadi said: ‘For this project, we're not using any kind of special coating, chemicals, or energy to overcome frost.

‘Instead we're using the unique chemistry of ice itself to prevent frost from forming.’ 

Ice building up on windscreens in winter is a huge source of nuisance to drivers ¿ and a potential source of danger (stock image)

Ice building up on windscreens in winter is a huge source of nuisance to drivers – and a potential source of danger (stock image)

The surface has been created using aluminium. A microscopic array of elevated grooves on the surface creates tiny strips where small strips of ice form.

This ‘sacrificial’ ice creates low pressure in the surrounding grooves – and sucks moisture from the air onto the ice stripe, keeping overlapping areas free of frost even in humid, sub freezing conditions.

These sacrificial ice stripes make up only 10 percent of the material's surface area, leaving the remaining 90 per cent completely dry.

Professor Jonathan Boreyko said: ‘The real power of this concept is that the ice stripes themselves are the chemistry, which means the material we use is irrelevant.

‘As long as you have that proper pattern of sacrificial ice, the material you use could be virtually anything. So there are a lot of possibilities.'

The researchers say that candidates for the surface are aircraft wings and car windshields will also be applications for the patented anti-frosting technology.  

The full findings were published in the ACS journal Applied Materials & Interfaces.

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