Scalable Laser Processing Enables Transparent, Accretion Scale-Independent, Ice-Shedding Glass

Ice accretion poses a formidable challenge for transparent surfaces in cold environments, such as windows, solar cells, and vehicle windshields. It is commonly understood that increasing surface roughness typically increases the forces required for the removal of ice from a substrate due to an increase in the ice-solid interfacial area. We introduce a novel and scalable laser-based technique to fabricate wave-like micro-patterns on glass surfaces, which defy this conventional understanding. Our results show that these patterns can strategically guide crack propagation at the ice-glass interface, which significantly lowers the forces required for ice detachment, while preserving substrate transparency. Interestingly, once these micro-patterns are present, variations in their amplitude and wavelength do not significantly impact the forces required for ice detachment. We present a comprehensive theoretical framework that explains these results, outlines the design principles for pattern fabrication to enable facile ice-shedding in all directions, and support the model with experimental validation. Overall, this work offers a scalable strategy to create high-performance, ice-shedding glass and reassesses the role of surface roughness in facilitating passive ice detachment.