During the Great Ice Storm of 1998, ice froze on power lines and poles, paralyzing the northern United States and southern Canada, leaving many in cold and darkness for days and even weeks. Whether it’s wind turbines, power towers, drones or airplane wings, the fight against ice buildup often relies on methods that are time consuming, expensive and/or use large amounts of energy and various chemicals. But looking at nature, McGill’s researchers think they’ve found a promising new way to solve the problem. They were inspired by the wings of the gentoo penguins, the penguins that swim in the icy waters of the Antarctic region, whose fur does not freeze even when the outer surface temperature is well below freezing.
        We first investigated the properties of lotus leaves, which are excellent at wicking water, but it turned out that they are less effective at wicking water. said Ann Kitzig, assistant professor of chemical engineering at McGill University and director of the Biomimetic Surface Engineering Lab, which has been looking for a solution for nearly a decade, a material that can remove water and ice. “
        The left image shows the microscopic structure of a penguin feather (a 10-micron close-up of the insert is equivalent to 1/10 the width of a human hair, to give an idea of ​​scale). from branched feathers. “Hooks” are used to join individual feather hairs together to form rugs. On the right is a stainless steel wire cloth that the researchers have embellished with nanogrooves, replicating the hierarchy of penguin feather structure (metal wire with nanogrooves at the top).
        “We found that the layered arrangement of the feathers themselves provides drainage properties, and their serrated surfaces reduce ice sticking,” explains Michael Wood, a recent graduate student working with Kitziger, who is one of the co-authors of the study. The authors have published a new article in ACS Applied Material Interfaces. “We were able to replicate these combined effects with laser-cut wire mesh.”
        Kitzig added: “It may seem counterintuitive, but the key to ice melting is that all of the pores on the mesh absorb water under freezing conditions. The water in these pores is the last to freeze, and as it expands, it creates cracks like what you see in refrigerator ice cube trays. We need very little effort to remove the ice from the grid, because the cracks in each hole easily meander along the surface of these braided wires.
        The researchers conducted wind tunnel tests on stenciled surfaces and found that the treatment was 95 percent more effective at preventing icing than unclad polished stainless steel panels. Since no chemical treatment is required, the new method offers a potentially maintenance-free solution to the problem of ice formation on wind turbines, power poles, power lines and drones.
        “Given the number of passenger aviation regulations and the associated risks, it is unlikely that an aircraft wing would simply be wrapped in metal mesh,” Kitzig added. “However, one day the surface of an aircraft wing may have the texture that we are studying, and deicing will occur through a combination of traditional de-icing methods working together on the wing. The surface includes textures inspired by penguin wings. .surface texture.”
        “Reliable anti-icing surfaces based on dual functionality – ice flaking caused by microstructure and drainage enhanced by nanostructure”, by Michael J. Wood, Gregory Brock, Juliette Debret, Philippe Servio and Anne-Marie Kitzig, published in ACS Appl. matt.interface
        Founded in Montreal, Quebec in 1821, McGill University is Canada’s number one medical university. McGill is consistently ranked among the best universities in the country and the world. It is a “world renowned” institution of higher education with research activities across three campuses, 11 departments, 13 professional schools, 300 study programs and over 40,000 students, including over 10,200 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries, and its 12,800 international students make up 31% of its student body. More than half of McGill students are native speakers of a mother tongue other than English, and approximately 19 percent of these students consider French to be their first language.