軽量センサー技術が有毒な航空機除氷液の使用を不要にする可能性(U of T researchers say their lightweight sensor tech could eliminate need for toxic aircraft de-icing fluid)

2026-01-20 トロント大学(U of T)

カナダのトロント大学の研究チームは、航空機の着氷を検知する軽量センサー技術を開発し、有毒な除氷液(デアイシング剤)への依存を大幅に減らせる可能性を示した。従来、航空機は安全確保のため大量の化学薬品を用いた除氷作業が必要だったが、これは環境負荷やコスト増の要因となっている。新技術は、翼表面に形成される氷の状態を高精度でリアルタイム検知でき、必要な場合にのみ最小限の対策を行う「スマート除氷」を可能にする。センサーは軽量で既存機体への搭載が容易とされ、飛行効率や安全性を維持しながら、環境負荷の低減と運航コスト削減の両立が期待される。研究者らは、将来的に民間航空全体の持続可能性向上に貢献する技術になると述べている。

<関連情報>

摩擦電気ナノジェネレーターは、多機能な氷の付着、融解、界面破壊の検出を可能にします Triboelectric Nanogenerators Enable Multifunctional Ice Accretion, Melting, and Interfacial Fracture Detection

Kamran Alasvand Zarasvand, Mohammad Soltani, Araz Rajabi-Abhari, Behrooz Khatir, Adel Malekkhouyan, Fatemeh Niknahad, Peter Di Palma, Julia Bains, Ali Dolatabadi, Yue Li,…
Advanced Materials  Published: 30 June 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202505793

軽量センサー技術が有毒な航空機除氷液の使用を不要にする可能性(U of T researchers say their lightweight sensor tech could eliminate need for toxic aircraft de-icing fluid)

Abstract

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have significant potential to perform as sensors or compact electric power generators through the production of electrical charge during the frictional interactions between two dissimilar materials, such as liquids impacting solids. However, whether phase transitions generate a triboelectric response is not known. This study investigates the occurrence of triboelectrification during the water-ice phase transition using TENGs for real-time ice detection on critical engineering surfaces such as aircraft, wind turbine blades, and vehicles. TENGs are fabricated using aluminum electrodes and either polyethylene, silicone, or polytetrafluoroethylene as the dielectric. The freezing of water and the melting of ice are found to generate triboelectric current only during motion of the contact line, and the presence of ice can lessen additional charge transfer during continuous ice accretion. Further, ice type (rime versus glaze) can be differentiated during accretion by the initial transferred charge and how quickly the signal plateaus. It is observed that mechanical de-icing generates triboelectric charges that are proportional to the de-icing force, and this allows for the identification and quantification interfacial fracture mechanisms such as stress-controlled, toughness-controlled, and cavitation-controlled de-bonding. A prototype ice sensor is validated on a flying drone exposed to simulated rain under icing conditions, where it is able to detect both icing and de-icing in flight. The TENGs exhibited a signal-to-noise ratio as high as 83 dB, highlighting triboelectricity as a novel, real-time, and energy-efficient solution for ice detection and protection systems.

0301機体システム
ad
ad
Follow
ad
タイトルとURLをコピーしました