{"id":685683,"date":"2025-08-18T06:10:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T03:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/self-propelled-ice-could-be-the-green-power-of-the-future\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T06:10:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T03:10:15","slug":"self-propelled-ice-could-be-the-green-power-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/self-propelled-ice-could-be-the-green-power-of-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-propelled ice could be the green power of the future"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a400a2eb61ce\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a400a2eb61ce\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/self-propelled-ice-could-be-the-green-power-of-the-future\/#Beyond_the_lab\" >Beyond the lab<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/self-propelled-ice-cou.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/self-propelled-ice-cou.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Overview of self-propelled ice disks on herringbones. Credit: &lt;i&gt;ACS Applied Materials &amp; Interfaces&lt;\/i&gt; (2025). DOI: 10.1021\/acsami.5c08993\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/self-propelled-ice-cou.jpg\" alt=\"Self-propelled ice could be the green power of the future\" title=\"Overview of self-propelled ice disks on herringbones. Credit: ACS Applied Materials &amp; Interfaces (2025). DOI: 10.1021\/acsami.5c08993\" width=\"800\" height=\"343\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Overview of self-propelled ice disks on herringbones. Credit: <i>ACS <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App<\/a>lied Materials &amp; Interfaces<\/i> (2025). DOI: 10.1021\/acsami.5c08993<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Scientists from Virginia Tech have discovered a way to make ice move on its own. It&#8217;s not a magic trick or a supernatural occurrence but a clever engineering feat. The team designed a flat metal surface that allows ice disks to slide across it without needing a push. The research has a host of potential applications, including rapid defrosting and new ways to harvest green energy.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers were inspired by Desert Valley&#8217;s &#8220;sailing stones,&#8221; rocks that move across a dry lakebed due to a combination of melting ice and wind. This rare natural event occurs when rain settles on a hard desert floor and forms thin sheets of ice if nighttime temperatures drop below freezing. When the ice eventually melts, a small breeze can move the remaining sheets, which sometimes drag the rocks along with them.<\/p>\n<p>Following the discovery of how the Desert Valley rocks move, Jonathan Boreyko and his team at Virginia Tech&#8217;s Nature-Inspired Fluids and Interface Lab set out to create a surface that moved ice along a level, horizontal path, but without wind assistance. After five years, they succeeded and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acsami.5c08993\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> their work in the journal <i>ACS Applied Materials &amp; Interfaces<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>So how did they achieve this self-propelled ice feat? The scientists constructed special aluminum plates with tiny, V-shaped grooves in a herringbone pattern. They then froze water in Petri dishes to make ice disks, which were placed on these heated plates. As the ice melted, the water was channeled by the grooves, allowing it to move forward. The herringbone pattern&#8217;s design is key, as it prevents water from flowing backward.<\/p>\n<p>The team also coated some plates with a water-repellent spray to see what would happen. The ice disks initially stuck to the coated surface before suddenly zipping across the metal plate.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"mb-4\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\">\n    <meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Self-propelled ice could be the green power of the future\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video\/2025\/self-propelled-ice-cou.mp4\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Top-view videos of the six successful cases of ice ratcheting on the HPL herringbones. Credit: ACS Applied Materials &amp; Interfaces (2025). DOI: 10.1021\/acsami.5c08993\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-08-15T11:54:26-04:00\"\/><br \/>\n        <meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video_tmb\/2025\/self-propelled-ice-cou.mp4.jpg\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video\/2025\/self-propelled-ice-cou.mp4\"\/><br \/>\n            <video class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\" id=\"jwVID84672\" controls=\"\" poster=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video_tmb\/2025\/self-propelled-ice-cou.mp4.jpg\"><source src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video\/2025\/self-propelled-ice-cou.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><\/source><\/video><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up mt-4\" itemprop=\"caption\">Top-view videos of the six successful cases of ice ratcheting on the HPL herringbones. Credit: <i>ACS Applied Materials &amp; Interfaces<\/i> (2025). DOI: 10.1021\/acsami.5c08993<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Beyond_the_lab\"><\/span>Beyond the lab<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The researchers believe their work could have wide-ranging implications, as they outline in their paper.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These findings demonstrate the potential for passive ice removal and phase-engineered microtransport by harnessing controlled melting and surface-guided motion, with implications for anti-icing systems, self-cleaning surfaces, and power-free microfluidic transport,&#8221; they write.<\/p>\n<p>While the new research is exciting, the scientists acknowledge that more work is needed to explore its potential. One of the most promising applications could be in energy harvesting. For example, the metal plates could be patterned into circles, causing the melting ice disks to rotate continually. Then all you would have to do is attach magnets or a turbine to the rotating disks to generate power.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__support\">\n<p>\n    Written for you by our author <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/editorial-team\/#authors\" target=\"_blank\">Paul Arnold<\/a>,<br \/>\n    edited by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/editorial-team\/\" target=\"_blank\">Gaby Clark<\/a>, and fact-checked and reviewed by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/editorial-team\/\" target=\"_blank\">Robert Egan<\/a>\u2014this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> journalism alive.<br \/>\n    If this reporting matters to you,<br \/>\n    please consider a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/donate\/?utm_source=story&amp;utm_medium=story&amp;utm_campaign=story\">donation<\/a> (especially monthly).<br \/>\n    You&#8217;ll get an <b>ad-free<\/b> account as a thank-you.\n    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJack T. Tapocik et al, Self-Propelled Ice on Herringbones, <i>ACS Applied Materials &amp; Interfaces<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1021\/acsami.5c08993\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1021\/acsami.5c08993<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                \u00a9 2025 Science X Network\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Self-propelled ice could be the green power of the future (2025, August 17)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 17 August 2025<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-08-propelled-ice-green-power-future.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n                                            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2025-08-propelled-ice-green-power-future.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview of self-propelled ice disks on herringbones. Credit: ACS Applied Materials &amp; Interfaces (2025). DOI: 10.1021\/acsami.5c08993 Scientists from Virginia Tech have discovered a way to make ice move on its own. It&#8217;s not a magic trick or a supernatural occurrence but a clever engineering feat. The team designed a flat metal surface that allows ice&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":685684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/self-propelled-ice-cou.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-685683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=685683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/685684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}