Researchers work on ways to keep planes ice-free

Winter air travel can get complicated when temperatures dip below freezing. Ensuring that an airplane is free of ice is a critical but expensive and time-consuming part of the process before take-off.

But several groups of researchers are working on innovative solutions to icy conditions, and both Japanese researchers and a team at the University of Michigan announced projects in the past week that could eventually make deicing a thing of the past.

Japanese researchers announced the development of a gel coating — which was partially inspired by the secretion of slugs — that becomes liquid-like when temperatures drop below freezing, making surfaces on the plane so slippery that ice cannot adhere to it. As temperatures rise, the liquid turns back into a gel.

"We came upon this idea when we observed real slugs in the environment."

"We came upon this idea when we observed real slugs in the environment," Chihiro Urata, Ph.D., said in a statement. "Slugs live underground in soils when it is daytime and crawl out at night. But we never see slugs covered in dirt. They secrete a liquid mucus on their skin, which repels dirt, and the dirt slides off. From this, we started focusing on the phenomenon called syneresis, the expulsion of liquid from a gel."

And researchers at the University of Michigan announced last week they have developed a coating that could also make deicing easier: Their invention is a rubbery, spray-on coating that would make ice slide off the plane.

The university reported that we could see this technology in frozen food packaging in the next year, however it would take more time to show up on cars or airplanes because of safety and durability requirements.

"Researchers had been trying for years to dial down ice adhesion strength with chemistry, making more and more water-repellent surfaces," Kevin Golovin, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering at Michigan, said in a statement. "We've discovered a new knob to turn, using physics to change the mechanics of how ice breaks free from a surface."

While the groups of researchers are optimistic about future applications of their inventions, both are far from seeing the light of day on a plane wing.

It currently takes approximately seven minutes to deice a plane, not including time spent waiting for crews or equipment. If the process were to be eliminated, it would save airlines time and money.

The wings and stabilizers — the flaps at the end of the wings — must be clear so the plane can take off properly. If it is blocked by snow or ice, the extra weight will disrupt airflow, reducing the plane's lift and movement.

Ice buildup has caused plane crashes in the past, including Air Florida Flight 90 in 1982.

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