Low–interfacial toughness materials for effective large-scale deicing

Easy ice removal The accumulation of ice on a surface can lead to hazardous conditions, such as on the surface of an airplane wing or the side of a tall building. Ice adhesion, even to a surface treated to minimize the bonded force, will usually depend on the amount of surface coverage. Golovin et al. compared strength-limited deicing with toughness-limited deicing. Whereas normal deicing materials focus on minimizing the adhesion strength, the authors show that if a material is designed with low-adhesion toughness, deicing is no longer a function of the coverage area. Science , this issue p. 371