I-Corps: Preventing Snow Accumulation and Facilitating Snow Removal

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发防止积雪的技术，该技术可以适应各种自动驾驶和现代车辆，使其能够在所有天气条件下安全运行。这项技术有助于减少道路死亡人数，并在运输行业创造更多的就业机会和经济机会。使用所提出的无源技术（即，防雪涂层）可有助于减少不可再生能源的使用，从而潜在地解决气候变化问题。这个I-Corps项目基于被动技术的开发，以了解除雪过程中雪（冰，空气和水的混合物）与固体表面的相互作用。拟议的研究可能会使除雪表面涂层超越目前可用的超疏水和疏冰涂层，这些涂层仅处理表面与单相水的相互作用 (i.e.,只有水或冰）。所提出的涂层将利用与雪的组成及其与表面的相互作用有关的基本理解，以提供在各种环境条件下促进除雪所需的耐用涂层。最后，建议的涂料的生产和应用是可扩展的，推进了低成本聚合物表面的制造。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of technology for the prevention of snow accumulation that can be adapted to various autonomous and modern vehicles to enable their safe operation in all weather conditions. This technology can contribute to reducing roadway fatalities and create additional jobs and economic opportunities in transportation industry. Enhancement in power generation efficiency of photovoltaic modules during winter using the proposed passive technology (i.e., the snowphobic coating) may contribute to reduction in the use of nonrenewable sources of energy, potentially addressing climate change. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a passive technology to enable an understanding of the interaction of snow (which is a mixture of ice, air, and water) with solid surfaces during snow removal processes. The proposed research may advance the snow-removal surface coatings beyond currently available superhydrophobic and icephobic coatings which only deal with interactions of the surface with a single phase of water (i.e., only water or ice). The proposed coating will utilize fundamental understandings related to the composition of snow and its interaction with surfaces to provide durable coatings desirable for facilitating of snow removal under various environmental conditions. Finally, production and application of the proposed coatings are scalable, advancing the manufacture of low cost polymeric surfaces.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.