Solutes’ Effects on Ice Formation and Ice Adhesion Strength
Session Number
3
Advisor(s)
Christopher Carducci, UIC; Dr. Sushant Anand, UIC
Location
B108
Discipline
Engineering
Start Date
15-4-2026 2:15 PM
End Date
15-4-2026 3:00 PM
Abstract
Ice accretion on surfaces poses persistent safety and performance challenges for transportation systems and infrastructure in cold environments. While extensive research has focused on developing ice-phobic materials, most laboratory studies investigate ice formed from pure water, even though natural ice typically contains dissolved impurities such as salts, acids, bases, organic compounds, and mineral particles. These solutes may accumulate during freezing and influence ice adhesion strength (IAS). This study investigates how aqueous solutions containing different solutes affect IAS on stainless steel substrates. We employed optical characterization techniques to observe ice formation and evolution during controlled freezing. Our results indicate that solution composition influences ice adhesion behavior. These findings contribute to understanding how environmental factors affect ice-substrate interactions and may inform future development of ice-mitigation strategies.
Solutes’ Effects on Ice Formation and Ice Adhesion Strength
B108
Ice accretion on surfaces poses persistent safety and performance challenges for transportation systems and infrastructure in cold environments. While extensive research has focused on developing ice-phobic materials, most laboratory studies investigate ice formed from pure water, even though natural ice typically contains dissolved impurities such as salts, acids, bases, organic compounds, and mineral particles. These solutes may accumulate during freezing and influence ice adhesion strength (IAS). This study investigates how aqueous solutions containing different solutes affect IAS on stainless steel substrates. We employed optical characterization techniques to observe ice formation and evolution during controlled freezing. Our results indicate that solution composition influences ice adhesion behavior. These findings contribute to understanding how environmental factors affect ice-substrate interactions and may inform future development of ice-mitigation strategies.