Living Materials Laboratory:
Project
Project:
Biomimetic Antifreeze Polymers: A Novel, Biodegradable Deicing Salt Alternative
Current Challenge
Research Goal
The primary objective of this project is to design and synthesize biomimetic antifreeze polymers (BAPs) that explicitly mimic the activity, function, and structure of antifreeze proteins (AFPs) naturally found in plants, insects, and bacteria and assess their viability as a replacement to traditional surface-applied deicing salts in civil infrastructure applications.
Sponsor
National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)