Nano-structured anti-icing

[Kai]

If you were about to get your Diamond FIKI-equipped for this winter, you might as well wait for nano technology to avoid icing:

http://www.gizmag.com/non-icing-nanostr ... ces/16950/

[Erik]

If you were about to get your Diamond FIKI-equipped for this winter, you might as well wait for nano technology to avoid icing:

http://www.gizmag.com/non-icing-nanostr ... ces/16950/

Wow that would be amazing if the stuff actually works as promised. I would expect something like 10 years for stuff like this to go from the research university lab to an STC marketed product available on our aircraft. Even longer for FIKI. or maybe I am wrong. Maybe on the basis of non FIKI standard, if it would just need to satisfy "does not interfere", it could happen sooner?

Maybe it would just be a tape like this stuff: http://www.oshkosh365.org/saarchive/eaa ... _01_11.pdf

I have doubts that it would really work in the real world, like how clean do these pours need to be? Is just a little bit of dirt enough to ruin the process? What about run back? - or maybe runback doesn't matter since a micro-film covering would be light enough to cover the whole airplane, every inch of it. That begs how durable is it? Maybe that doesn't matter either - if it is cheap enough it could be reapplied every year?

I sure love my DA40, and the major regret I have of the line is that I wish it had some kind of ice protection - not because I ever ever want to fly in ice, but I do find even VFR flying in the winter a bit spooky just in case - I avoid IFR in the winter. I wish TKS would just STC for us - I would be the first in line for a accidental encounter TKS system, despite I know that many of you folks have said 180hp is to low for ice - I agree - but still I would rather have one more backup just in case than none at all.

[MikeD]

interesting. How does it work?

[Erik]

interesting. How does it work?

I don't know exactly, so I won't fake I do but I would fake it over a glass of wine...

But looking into it a bit further, I found a really cool video:
http://www.pitt.edu/news2009/ice.html

and also http://www.engr.pitt.edu/news/article_view.php?id=2255

Dang - I want that stuff. Maybe it would just be stickers and you could just put it all over the leading edges - or more? Sort of like the stickers we can already put just to protect the paint on the leading edges - but much more useful. Maybe on that basis it wouldn't even need an STC? It might even be cheap stuff since they mention in an article that it might even be useful to coat powerlines. Of course you don't even want the stuff if it doesn't really work. And it could be years from the university lab to a product you would actually purchase through aircraftspruce.

What made you find this stuff Kai?

[Kai]

[quote=Erik]What made you find this stuff Kai?[/quote]

Coincidence. I visit gizmag's aer-section regularly.

It would be soooo cool to have such a simple, yet effective anti-icing system. I just hope this is a bit more serious than other wannabe- inventions we have to deal with in aviation.

[Erik]

Can you imagine if this stuff works, and it works well, and it becomes readily available? It would be a game changer. Suddenly all airplanes would have ice protection. I presume TKS would go out of business. Next stop will be cheap and safe confined nuclear fusion - free energy and all will be good in the world.

I do hold half a hope that we will be purchasing this anti-ice material in 3 or 4 years.

[Jean]

Yes, and it would probably also solve bug removal and aircraft cleaning at the same time.
Imagine all the peuple...

[Ralphie]

Nano nano......Ok I know it's nanu nanu......

[Jean]

Another anti-ice coating by Ross Technologies.
Seen on Avweb.
http://www.neverwet.com

[Antoine]

sounds very promisng and retail sales in 2012...