A new material harnesses light to deice surfaces
It could be used to coat airplane wings and other surfaces to prevent ice buildup
By
Maria Temming
2:00pm, August 31, 2018
ICE BE GONE A new deicing material could reduce ice buildup on plane wings and other surfaces, to curb the use of environmentally unfriendly chemical sprays.
A new material that converts light into heat could be laminated onto airplanes, wind turbines, rooftops and offshore oil platforms to help combat ice buildup.
This deicer, called a photothermal trap, has three layers: a top coating of a ceramic-metal mix that turns incoming light into thermal energy, a middle layer of aluminum that spreads this heat across the entire sheet — warming up even areas not bathed in light — and a foam insulation base. The photothermal trap, described online August 31 in Science Advances, can be powered by sunshine or LEDs.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/new-material-harnesses-light-deice-surfaces
