Solar-Powered De-Icer Spreads the Heat

Sep-04-18 A three-layered material from MIT acts as a passive de-icer for power lines and airplane wings.

The system relies on a material made up of three layers that transform solar radiation to heat to melt the ice on the surface. The top layer traps sunlight and converts that light to heat with a 95 percent efficiency, while the bottom, foam insulation layer traps the heat. The key to the material’s effectiveness, however, is its middle layer, which is made up of a very thin sheet of aluminum. The aluminum acts as a ‘spreader’ for the captured heat, creating a thin layer of water where the ice meets the surface even in areas not in direct sun, allowing the unmelted ice on top to slide off the surface.

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[NEWATLAS.COM]
[NEWS.MIT.EDU]

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