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Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Metal Surfaces for Anti-Icing Applications
Published on: August 15, 2018
Anti-Ice Nucleating Activity of Surfactants against Silver Iodide in Water-in-Oil Emulsions
Takaaki Inada1, Toshie Koyama1, Hiroyuki Tomita1
1National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) , Namiki 1-2-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8564, Japan.
Abstract:
Various water-soluble substances are known as anti-ice nucleating agents (anti-INAs), which inhibit heterogeneous ice nucleation initiated by ice nucleating agents (INAs). Among them, several surfactants are reportedly effective as anti-INAs especially against silver iodide (AgI), which is a typical inorganic INA that induces heterogeneous ice nucleation at relatively high temperatures. In this study, the anti-ice nucleating activities of seven surfactants were examined in emulsified surfactant solutions containing AgI particles. Among previously reported anti-INAs (e.g., antifreeze proteins (AFPs), polyphenol compounds and synthetic polymers), a cationic surfactant used in this study, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C16TAB), showed the highest anti-ice nucleating activity against AgI. Based on the unique concentration-dependent dispersibility of AgI particles in C16TAB solution, the anti-ice nucleating activity of C16TAB must be caused by the adsorption of C16TAB molecules on AgI surfaces either as a monolayer or a bilayer depending on the C16TAB concentration.
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