Anti-icing Material Research Articles

Preparation and properties of an anti-icing and de-icing emulsified asphalt coating containing RTV and CNTs

In regions experiencing cold weather, road icing poses significant challenges to transportation safety. Traditional anti-icing or de-icing methods, such as salt spraying, have raised environmental concerns, prompting the exploration of more sustainable alternatives. This study introduces a novel approach by developing a hydrophobic coating for road surfaces. This method involves using room-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber (RTV) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for the hydrophobic modification of emulsified asphalt (EA), resulting in the preparation of modified emulsified asphalt (RCEA). This method does not cause environmental pollution and makes the road surface highly hydrophobic and effective at preventing ice formation. When the dosages of RTV and CNTs are 20 wt% and 4 wt%, respectively, the contact angle of RCEA reaches 118.6°, showing a significant increase of 73.4 % compared to EA. Comparative tests have revealed that RCEA extends the freezing time of water droplets by 66.7 % at −10 °C compared to traditional emulsified asphalt (EA). Furthermore, the adhesion force of ice on the RCEA surface is 58.2 % lower than on EA, indicating significantly improved de-icing efficiency. The results of ultraviolet aging and freeze-thaw cycle tests show that RCEA maintains its hydrophobicity, evidenced by only a slight reduction in the contact angle. Additionally, water seepage coefficient tests and anti-skid performance assessments confirm that RCEA meets the requisite standards for road performance. In summary, RCEA emerges as a promising anti-icing and de-icing material for asphalt roads, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional de-icing methods.

A simple fabrication of liquid-like polydimethylsiloxane coating for resisting ice adhesion.

The rapid realization of efficient anti-icing coatings on diverse substrates is of vital value for practical applications. However, current approaches for rapid preparations of anti-icing coatings are still deficient regarding their surface universality and accessibility. Here, we report a simple processing approach to rapidly form icephobic liquid-like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) brushes on various substrates, including metals, ceramics, glass, and plastics. A poly(dimethylsiloxane), trimethoxysilane is applied as a reactant under the catalysis of a minimal amount of acid formed by hydrolysis of dichlorodimethylsilane. With such an advantage, this approach is approved to be applicable of coating metal surfaces with less corrosion. The distinctive flexibility of the PDMS chains provides a liquid-like property to the coating showing low contact angle hysteresis and ice adhesion strength. Notably, the ice adhesion strength remains similar across a wide temperature window, from -70 to -10 °C, with a value of 18.4kPa. The PDMS brushes demonstrate perfect capability for resisting acid and alkali corrosions, ultra-violet degradation, and even tens of icing/deicing cycles. Moreover, the liquid-like coating can also form at supercooling conditions, such as -20 °C, and shows an outstanding anti-icing/deicing performance, which meets the in situ coating reformation requirement under extreme conditions when it is damaged. This instantly forming anti-icing material will benefit from resisting instantaneous ice accretion on surfaces under extremely cold conditions.

Development and application of the low Curie point positive temperature coefficient (PTC) electrothermal anti-icing material

The application of the positive temperature coefficient (PTC) materials in electrothermal anti-icing offers not only uniform heating of the anti-icing area, but also adaptive temperature control of the material. This study focuses on the preparation of a low Curie point PTC material with a Curie temperature point of 1 °C, using the in-situ polymerization method. The PTC behaviors of the material were extensively investigated by adjusting the component ratios and the microstructures of the materials were analyzed in correlation with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Subsequently, adaptive temperature control and stability experiments were conducted to evaluate the material's performance. Eventually, the material was adopted to electrothermal anti-icing experiment for wind turbine blades. The results demonstrate that when the mass fraction of acetylene black is 9 wt%, the mass ratio of n-tetradecane/hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (HTPDMS) is 1:1, and the mass ratio of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/HTPDMS is 1:2, the low-temperature resistivity of the low Curie point PTC material reaches an impressive value of only 5.37 Ω cm, the PTC intensity can reach 2.99, and the thermal conductivity can reach 0.778 W/(m·K). Furthermore, the material exhibits robust adaptive temperature control capability, effectively maintaining the temperature below 3 °C under different operating voltages and ambient temperatures. Even after 100 cyclic experiments, the material demonstrates superior PTC behavior, excellent temperature control ability, and exceptional stability. Additionally, under different operating voltages, ambient temperatures and wind speeds, the low Curie point PTC material exhibits excellent adaptive adjustment capability and maintains uniform heating of the anti-icing surface. These findings provide valuable insights for in-depth exploration of the low Curie point PTC electrothermal anti-icing materials.

Integrating Fly Ash-Controlled Surface Morphology and Candle Grease Coating: Access to Highly Hydrophobic Poly (L-lactic Acid) Composite for Anti-Icing Application

New ways of recycling fly ash are of great significance for reducing the environmental pollution. In this work, biodegradable hydrophobic poly (L-lactic acid)/fly ash composites for anti-icing application were successfully fabricated via a facile solvent-volatilization-induced phase separation approach. A silane coupling agent of 3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate was used to decorate a fly ash surface (FA@KH570) for strengthening the interface bonding between fly ash and poly (L-lactic acid). Moreover, FA@KH570 could obviously enhance the crystallinity of poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/FA@KH570 composites, which accelerated the conversion from the liquid-liquid to the liquid-solid phase separation principle. Correspondingly, the controllable surface morphology from smooth to petal-like microspheres was attained simply by adjusting the FA@KH570 content. After coating nontoxic candle grease, the apparent contact angle of 5 wt% PLLA/FA@KH570 composite was significantly increased to an astonishing 151.2°, which endowed the composite with excellent anti-icing property. This strategy paves the way for recycling waste fly ash and manufacturing hydrophobic poly (L-lactic acid) composite for potential application as an anti-icing material for refrigerator interior walls.

Prospects for the use of rock crushing screenings from Karelia as a filtering medium

The aim of the research was to study the crushing screenings of gabbrodolerite, quartzite sandstone, and quartzite stored in the pit dumps in the Prionezhsky District of Karelia in order to assess their applicability as non-traditional filtering media in water treatment for the removal of various pollutants. The use of optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis allowed establishing qualitative and quantitative mineral compositions of the screenings studied. According to the results of the study of physical and chemical parameters and the total specific effective activity of natural radionuclides in the screenings, the 0.5–2.0 mm fraction meets the requirements set by the standard for natural granular filtering materials. A comparison of the materials studied with quartz sand (provided by CJSC Pogranskoye Quarry Association) confirmed that their filtering media porosity and grain shape coefficient values are not inferior to those of the standard material. The bulk density of the screenings at 1307–1550 kg/m3 is comparable to the density of the sand at 1650 kg/m3. It seems reasonable to place these screenings in the lower layer of two-layer filter systems and to use them for water clarification and for the removal of mechanical impurities and iron from water. The 2–5 mm fraction of the screenings studied may be used as a loose anti-icing material for treating road surfaces in winter. Introduction of screenings as non-traditional filtering media for water treatment at local mining enterprises contributes to more comprehensive deposit development and helps solving certain economic and environmental problems in the region.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC INDICATORS OF THE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY OF MACHINES FOR ANTI-ICE TREATMENT OF PAVEMENTS

The article touches upon one of the most important problems associated with the winter maintenance of road construction elements (sidewalks, footpaths), namely, winter street injuries of pedestrians. As one of the possible solutions to this problem, a disk distributor with a symmetrical method of supplying solid anti-icing material to the disk is proposed for operation, which provides a better distribution compared to the traditional asymmetric method of supply. It is assumed that this equipment will be installed on the base machine – a typical distributor of anti-icing materials along the carriageway. The article carried out a comparative technical and economic analysis and evaluation of the technical and economic indicators of the operation of machines in order to select the most effective combination of machines for de-icing the roadway and sidewalks. Six models of machines were selected for analysis, similar in their technical characteristics to real machines used for the distribution of solid anti-icing materials. As a criterion for the efficiency of operation, the cost of production of work, the annual volume of work and operational shift productivity were chosen. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the operation of combinations of machines, including a disk distributor with a symmetrical feed method, will allow achieving higher technical and economic indicators due to a slight increase in the cost of production of anti-icing coatings.

Hierarchical micro/nano/porous structure PVDF/hydrophobic GO photothermal membrane with highly efficient anti-icing/de-icing performance

Frequent icing and frosting cause severe economic losses and, more seriously, may endanger life of human beings. Efficient strategies for anti-icing remain to be developed. Superhydrophobic surface is considered an effective anti-icing material. Nevertheless, it still has disadvantages of complicated operation steps and difficulty in large-scale preparation, and its freezing time is limited while ice will increase rapidly once its surface is frozen. Herein, hierarchical micro/nano/porous superhydrophobic coatings with photothermal property were prepared, which combined active and passive de-icing/anti-icing properties. Hydrophobic graphene oxide (GO) was introduced to PVDF substrate to facilitate formation of hierarchical micro/nano/porous structures. Therefore, superhydrophobicity and photothermal properties were both achieved. In addition, porous structures and folds on the inner wall provide more traps and longer trajectories for incident light, and thus the possibility of absorbing sunlight increased dramatically due to multiple reflections, therefore enhancing the solar-to-heat conversion efficiency. The superhydrophobic property endowed the membrane with excellent anti-icing performance, moreover, the freezing time of PVDF+GOF (10%) was 213 s and it was 14 times that of the untreated glass surface. What’s more, within 3 min, the temperature of PVDF+GOF(10%) coating can rise from 20 °C to 72 °C or from − 10–11 °C under 1 sun illumination condition. Hence, the photothermal superhydrophobic material can remain unfrozen for a long time in the low temperature and the fast, effective preparation method will expand practical application of superhydrophobic surfaces.

Photothermal trap with multi-scale micro-nano hierarchical structure enhances light absorption and promote photothermal anti-icing/deicing

Facing climate change caused by carbon emissions and the disaster of ice accumulation on outdoor equipment, the large-scale use of solar energy is a promising solution. Here, a photothermal anti-icing material composed of substrate, carbon-based light-absorption layer, and encapsulation layer was prepared using a combined template-spraying method. The multi-scale micro-nano hierarchical structure can enhance light absorption in a limited space due to the light trapping effect, which was confirmed by ray-tracing simulation and the UV–vis-NIR light absorption result, and the average light absorption rate is up to ∼ 98% at the 200–2000 nm wavelength. The average surface temperature can reach ∼ 85 °C under 1 sun (qi = 100 mW/cm2) illumination at room temperature (Tr = 25 °C), and the photo-to-thermal conversion efficiency is up to 60.76%. Excellent photothermal conversion performance endows the material with the ability of photothermal deicing, and the frost or ice layer can melt and fall off from the surface after 300 s of 1 sun illumination. Besides, the photothermal anti-icing experiments under 1 sun illumination show that the prepared material has a lower freezing temperature (-25.20 ± 1.34 °C), a longer freezing delay time (774.76 ± 114.19 s), and a heat transfer model during the icing process was proposed. Surface friction, water flow impact, and solution immersion tests show that the material has excellent mechanical durability and chemical stability. The materials prepared in this work show enormous application potential on outdoor equipment due to the simple preparation method, strong mechanical durability, and excellent photothermal anti-icing/deicing properties.

Inexpensive Anti-Icing Concrete Material for Application to Tunnel and Slope Engineering Infrastructures in Cold Regions.

The formation of ice hangings on the surfaces of concrete tunnel linings and sloped rock masses in cold regions endangers railroad and highway traffic. However, an inexpensive anti-icing material that meets both performance and cost requirements has not yet been developed for application in tunnel and slope engineering infrastructures in cold regions. Most current advanced anti-icing materials are expensive, and fabrication and spraying are both cumbersome, which limits their widespread application to tunnel and slope engineering. Because concrete is a widely used construction material owing to its excellent mechanical properties and low cost, we developed an inexpensive, environmentally friendly anti-icing concrete material (AICM). The AICM can be easily fabricated and sprayed onto the surfaces of large-area concrete or rock substrates and exhibits excellent superhydrophobicity (CA: 151°, SA: 6.7°), surface robustness, water resistance, chemical durability, good anti-icing, easy deicing (deicing stress: 0.06 MPa), and excellent long-term durability in freeze-thaw cycles in low-temperature environments. In addition, a novel fractal theory-based model of ice adhesion shear stress was developed and revealed the mechanism through which an AICM with a composite micro/nanostructure easily deices. The AICM has good application prospects and serves as an important guide for mitigating the formation of ice hangings in tunnel and slope engineering infrastructures in cold regions.

Crosstalk-Free, Stretching-Insensitive Sensor Based on Arch-Bridge Architecture for Tactile Mapping with Parallel Addressing Strategy toward Million-Scale-Pixels Processing.

In the field of biomimetic electronics, flexible sensors with both high resolution and large size are attracting a lot of attention. However, attempts to increase the number of sensor pixels have been thwarted by the need for complex inner circuits and the resulting interferences with the output. Technological challenges, such as real‐time spatiotemporal mapping and long‐time reliability, must be resolved for large‐scale sensor matrices. This paper reports a simple and robust sensor with an arch‐bridge architecture (ABA) to address these challenges. The device, which consists of an anti‐icing all‐transparent material system, is fabricated by immobilizing ABA ionic arrays on predefined grooves on the substrate. It systematically integrates ABA structure‐designing, resistance‐position‐sensing, and parallel‐addressing logic, allowing for an improvement of three orders of magnitude in the scanning speed (million‐scale pixels) without logical “diagnose confusion.” In addition, it can withstand 100 000 stretching cycles without functional failure. It is also resistant to interferences from stretching. humidity, wet surfaces, and power lines. The proposed strategy is envisaged to serve as a general solution for high‐density, large‐area tactile sensors in various applications.

The concept of functioning of the on-board quality control system for anti-icing pavement treatment

The article discusses the concept of an electronic system for ensuring the quality of anti-icing processing of sidewalks and other elements of road construction. The object of research is the quality of particle distribution of anti-icing material. In particular, such quality indicators as the width of the processing band, the density of distribution of the material over the coating and the degree of lateral deformation of the processing zone are considered. The subject of the research is the general principle of the control system for the numerical values of the distribution quality indicators. Such a system is based on mathematical models of the movement of individual particles of a material along a flat rotating disk and in air. The original mathematical basis was developed by the authors of the article, taking into account the analytical equations of motion of a particle on a rotating horizontal disk obtained earlier by other researchers and using Newton’s second law. The article describes the algorithm for the functioning of the distribution quality control system, which takes into account geometric, regime and meteorological parameters. The system is designed to work with a symmetrical way of feeding material from the tray to the disc. In addition, the physicochemical properties of the particles of anti-icing material and numerical quality criteria are taken into account, such as the required width of the processing strip, the rate of density of distribution (consumption) of the material and the maximum permissible degree of lateral deformation of the processing zone. The block diagram of the system is presented. As a result of the operation of the proposed system, it becomes possible to change the values of the operating parameters of the equipment in the process of material distribution, providing the required values of quality indicators. Thus, the negative impact on the ecological environment of the city will be reduced and the economic efficiency of anti-icing processing of sidewalks will be increased.

Assessment of the environmental impact of anti-icing materials on plant bioindicators

The article examines the physicochemical effect of anti-icing materials, such as sodium and calcium chlorides, XNKM (Russia) and created on the basis of mineral raw materials of the Astrakhan region (AR), on the state of plant bioindicators. The effect of salts contained in various brands of anti-icing materials on the quantitative content of photosynthetic pigments in test objects - tomato and sunflower - was studied. The choice of test objects is determined by the geographic location of the Astrakhan region and natural and climatic factors. The elemental composition of mineral raw materials was studied by X-ray spectral-fluorescent elemental analysis. Analysis of the elemental composition of AR opoka and AR marl makes it possible to exclude the fact that the main content is made up of oxides of aluminum, silicon and calcium, which makes it possible to predict the effective use of the opoka and marl as components of antidepressants. - ironing materials. The studies carried out and the analysis of the results obtained indicate that when using sodium salts and XNKM, there is a sharp decrease in the content of photosynthetic pigments. It was found that when introducing natural mineral raw materials from the Astrakhan region as an anti-icing material: sand, opoka AR and marl AR, the negative impact on the content of photosynthetic pigments is minimal. During the study, it was shown that the content of calcium ions in the biomass of leaves also varies widely; when calcium salts are added, it naturally increases due to the cumulative effect, but since the mineral raw materials of opoka and marl can exhibit adsorptive activity towards cations, the content of calcium ions decreases. Extensive research shows that the most commonly used anti-icing agents reduce the amount of photoynthetic pigments and calcium in plants.

Epidemiological evaluation of the probability of consequences of the application of anti-icing material for health of children and adults

Introduction. In recent decades scientific studies show the level and nature of chronic respiratory pathology in the population to be the indicator of the quality of the environment, including the quality of the atmospheric air of modern cities, is in many ways. The exposure of all age groups of the population to chronic diseases of the bronchopulmonary system reliably correlates with the level of air pollution. Many studies are devoted to studying the effect of anti-icing agents (AIA) on human and animal bodies. However, very few works devoted to the causal relationship between the use of AIA and the gain in the prevalence of bronchopulmonary diseases.The aim of the work is to conduct a descriptive epidemiological analysis of the level and dynamics of the incidence of diseases of the respiratory organs to assess the likelihood of the consequences of using GMD for the health of children and adults.Material and methods. A descriptive epidemiological analysis of the level and dynamics of the incidence of diseases of the respiratory organs in the population of Moscow was carried out by the main age groups: children (0-14 years), adolescents (15-17 years), adults (over 18 years) for the periods 1995-2001 and 2012-2017 The study was carried out based on medical reporting data (a form of FSN No. 12 “Information on the number of diseases registered in patients living in the area of service of a medical organization”) provided by the Moscow Department of Health.Results. The results of the study showed diseases of the respiratory system to be the leading pathology in all age groups from 1995-2017. The rate of the increase in the incidence by 2017 has decreased significantly compared with 2000. However, in 2017 compared to 2012, among children, adolescents, and adults there was a positive increase in the incidence of neoplasms, the largest increase was in the group of adolescents - by 7.2%, as well as for many other diseases.Conclusion. Children have been established to be more susceptible to the effects of ecopathological factors, especially during critical periods of growth and development (1 year of life, at the age of 7 years, 15-17 years). The data obtained as a result of the analysis of the increase in the incidence rate of the indicator pathology of respiratory organs and diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue among the population of Moscow compared to 2012 confirm the need to continue in-depth studies to assess the possible impact of AIA on the health of the population.

Fabrication of solar-reflective, hydrophobic polymer materials with excellent cooling and anti-icing properties through selective etching

Polymeric cool roofing materials have been concerned all along for their promising applications in energy-saving fields. Simultaneously, anti-icing property is another significant consideration for roofing materials. Herein, porous surfaces were constructed through immersing poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) blending sheets in cyclohexane/methylbenzene/acetone (90/10/10) mixed solvent to selectively etch some components, and their cooling and anti-icing properties were investigated. Both solar reflectance (Rsol) and thermal emissivity (εT) at atmospheric window (8–13 µm) of porous sample with 30 wt% CPE (Rsol = 93.7%, εT = 87.1%) were higher than those of pure PMMA (Rsol = 13.0%, εT = 86.4%). The porous sample with 30% CPE as a simulated roof possessed the best cooling performance from cooling test: its final temperature was only 25.3 °C after 1 h solar radiation, 27.1 °C lower than that of pure PMMA. Moreover, the porous sample with 30 wt% CPE exhibited very hydrophobic and good anti-icing properties. The freezing point and the freezing time of water on the hydrophobic surface were −24.4 °C and 568 s, 7.2 °C lower and 452 s longer than those of water on the surface of pure PMMA, respectively. We believe that this solar-reflective and anti-icing porous material has potential application for the next-generation roofing material.

The effect of chloride deicing materials on road safety in winter

Problem. The winter period is characterized by a large number of traffic accidents. The reason for the occurrence of traffic accidents is precisely slippery road surface. During icy conditions, vehicle handling is impaired, resulting in traffic accidents. Goal. In Ukraine, a chemical method is used to combat winter slippage, namely, chloride deicing materials. The aim of the work is to study the laws of reducing the adhesion characteristics of the road surface depending on the properties of the solutions formed after the use of chemical deicing materials. Methodology. Standard methods for investigating the coefficient of adhesion of the road surface are used. Results. The article discusses the possible consequences of the use of anti-icing materials, which are to reduce the adhesion characteristics of the coating when a reagent solution film is formed on it after processing. It is this solution that make smoother the natural micro-profile of the coating, thus reducing the adhesion coefficient. Weather conditions also change the coefficient of adhesion of pavements moistened with reagents: as the air temperature decreases, the coefficient values will decrease due to an increase in the viscosity of the reagents. Practical value. When assessing the properties of anti-icing materials, it is necessary to study their effect on the adhesion coefficients of paving of various roughness at various concentrations and temperatures. It is also necessary to take into account weather conditions - air temperature during the cold period, the intensity and duration of rainfall. In addition, the introduction of anti-icing material substances that reduce the viscosity of the resulting solution will reduce the negative impact on the adhesion coefficient of the coating.

Liquid-Infused Micro-Nanostructured MOF Coatings (LIMNSMCs) with High Anti-Icing Performance.

In this article, a new kind of anti-icing material, liquid-infused micro-nanostructured MOF coating (LIMNSMC), was designed and prepared. The porous micro-nanostructures of metal-organic framework (MOF) coating were first utilized to immobilize the lubricating liquid. The anti-icing performance of LIMNSMC could be tuned by the viscosity, the amount of lubricating liquid, and the surface morphology. Under appropriate conditions, the LIMNSMC shows high anti-icing performance with the condensed water-freezing temperature of approximately -39 °C and the ice adhesion strength of approximately 10 kPa as the micro-nanostructures of MOF coating reduce the contact area and hinder the heat transfer between the surface and water droplets, and the lubricating layer effectively reduces the heterogeneous nucleation sites on the surface, as well as reduces the ice adhesion. LIMNSMCs exhibit good durability as the lubricating liquid can be effectively immobilized by the nanopores of MOFs. So, the high anti-icing performance of LIMNSMCs could be maintained throughout 10 freezing/melting cycles and six icing/de-icing cycles and slightly decreased after high-speed centrifugation and 50 abrasion cycles.

Tunable Multimodal Drop Bouncing Dynamics and Anti-Icing Performance of a Magnetically Responsive Hair Array.

Anti-icing materials that can efficiently limit ice formation have a strong potential to replace existing anti-icing techniques, such as Joule heating, chemical release, or mechanical removal, which are usually inefficient, expensive, and environmentally harmful. In this study, an anti-icing material based on a magnetically responsive hierarchical hair array that can actively modulate drop bouncing dynamics is presented. The magnetically responsive hair array exhibits an immediate and reversible structural bending motion in response to an external magnetic field. The array also exhibits superhydrophobicity, regardless of its tilt angle, due to the tapered geometry of the hairs and the multiscale surface roughness of the array. Due to its dynamic structure and water-repellent characteristics, the array can induce distinct multiple modes of drop bouncing behavior by adjusting its structural bending state in a reversible fashion. Three different types of bouncing behavior, namely, quasi-pancake bouncing, directional bouncing, and macrotexture-induced droplet fragmentation, can be obtained with the vertical, tilted, and fully bent hair arrays, respectively. We demonstrate that the dynamically controllable drop bouncing behavior of the magnetically responsive hierarchical array enables the efficient and robust prevention of ice formation and accumulation.

THE CYTOGENETIC AND PHYTOTOXIC ASSESSMENT OF THE ANTI-ICING MATERIAL ON ONION ASSAY (ALLIUM CEPA)

Allium cepa assay is one of the relevant methods for the cytogenetic analysis. Today modern anti-icing reagents seem to be unstudied in the field of cytogenetics studies. The aim of the experiment is to study the phytotoxic and cytogenetic activity of multi-component anti-icing material using an onion Allium cepa. We researched anti-icing concentrations in the range of from 1 to 100 g/l. The test object was onion «Stuttgarter risen» variety couched in anti-icing solutions during the 72 hours. According to the assessment of phytotoxic effects, there was estimated the number of roots, the length of the longest root and the length of all roots for the every onion plant. The parallel experiment included the phytotoxic research of the same anti-icing using wheat seeds according to method MR 2.1.7.2297-07. Every onion roots were cut away, fixed, painted and pressured for microscopic analysis for the purposes of the cytogenetic research. About 2000 cells were analyzed for each onion. We estimated the number of mitosis per 1000 cells (mitotic index, ‰) and the proportion of cells in each phase of mitosis by the total number of dividing cells (%). For the analysis of cytogenetic damage using micronucleus test that provided the estimation of micronucleus, protrusions, and binuclear cells. An ana-telophase analysis included the estimation of fragments bridges and lagging chromosomes. As a result of analysis of the roots growth, we founded acting concentrations (2; 4; 10 and 100 g/l) and in-acting ones (1.3 and 1). The experiment showed the similar susceptibility of the onion and wheat root response. The mitosis analysis showed that concentrations from 1 to 1.3 g/l increased a mitosis activity and concentration of 10 g/l provided the decline of mitosis. There were no cytogenetic defects in all studied concentrations.

Basis for application of new-generation anti-icing materials as an efficient way to reduce the accident rate on roads in winter

Abstract The use of advanced anti-icing materials is important to ensure and maintain the maximum traffic capacity, decrease the accident rate on motor roads exposed to adverse weather conditions in winter. The primary issue in applying these materials deals with ensuring the required traffic safety, therefore, these materials should undergo diagnostics before they can be recommended for use, and, subsequently, the condition of motor roads should be assessed. The diagnostic information obtained allows for comprehensive assessment of road operating conditions representing the most important factor in evaluating road pavement safety, especially in winter. The study addresses the issue of providing the basis for application of anti-icing materials to ensure the required safety on roads in winter. The study is focuses on road pavement operating conditions in winter, and the potential of using the new-generation anti-icing Nordway material and sand-and-salt mixture traditionally used in Russia’s periphery. As a result, due to the use of the new-generation anti-icing material, primary indicators of traffic safety assurance in winter are established. A full-scale experiment using the material under study is performed, primary cohesive properties for the experimental section of the road pavement are determined. Data on the braking distance variance in winter are gathered. A comparative analysis is carried out for a similar data set when using the traditional material, when using the tested material (of new generation) and without applying any materials. The most efficient way to reduce the accident rate on roads in winter using one of the anti-icing materials studied is established.

Organogel as durable anti-icing coatings

A durable organogel anti-icing material via swelling cross-linked poly(dimethylsiloxane) with liquid paraffin is reported. The surface of the organogel is covered by a thin released layer of paraffin due to the osmotic pressure, which acts as a lubricant and reduces the ice adhesion greatly. Results show that the ice adhesion on the surface of the organogel is as small as 1.7±1.2 kPa (at −30°C) and the low ice adhesion remains even when the temperature is lowered to −70°C. The surface with lubricating liquid paraffin layer exhibits excellent durability, as it shows an ultralow ice adhesion after 35 cycles of icing/deicing and 100 days of exposure in ambient environment.