Ice buildup is a common problem among car owners however, on airplanes, this type of buildup can be truly dangerous as ice crystals gather on the wings of planes.

In order to fight this problem, scientists from the University of Michigan developed this new ice repellent to provide a special coating for vehicles especially airplanes to prevent ice buildup, with the help of gravitational forces or strong winds.

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This new spray-on coating is not only efficient, it is cheap, appearing to be a transparent layer, that possesses a rubbery texture. This new technology can help prevent significant ice material collecting on car windshields, and even power lines and freezer defrost systems. According to author of the study, Kevin Golovin from the University of Michigan, prior research have been trying to develop an effective material to lessen ice adhesion strength with the use of chemicals in order to make more water repellent surfaces.

In this new study, this new material uses physics to shift the mechanics of ice breakage when it collapses or detaches from a surface. Initially, the team worked on expanding and improving  the abilities of water repellent materials however, their experiments resulted in the materials not efficiently removing ice as opposed to water, where the material requires to be re-engineered. 

In the end, the team discovered that the secret in repelling ice is also essential in repelling water. The crucial factor here is that this coating can actually deform or change its shape when applied even the most minimal amount of force, known as interfacial cavitation.

According to author of the study, professor of materials science and engineering, Anish Tuteja from the University of Michigan, past studies have not yet explored that the property of rubber can apparently reduce ice adhesion. Essentially, ice is frozen water, so other researchers assumed that ice repelling surfaces need to repel water but this has been very restricting.

When the team discovered this important property, they changed how smooth and rubbery the coating can become, until it can be effective enough to repel ice and at the same time, become durable enough. Researchers found that softer surfaces are more ice repellent but less durable while harder surfaces are more durable. Goloin says that this kind of versatility can develop various coatings for a wide range of applications.

A series of laboratory tests reveal that this material can withstand corrosion, temperature, peeling, abrasion and freeze to thaw cycles. 

This means that the coating on airplanes can be extremely durable but less ice repellent due to high winds where vibrations can help shove the ice off. Coatings on a freezer can be less durable, but ice shedding would be more effective with gravity and just slight vibrations.

This technology can be commercially produced in frozen food packaging however, for vehicles such as cars and airplanes, it can become very complex to adjust its durability based on safety requirements, making this the next step on their research.

This new study is published in the journal Science Advances.