Scientists from ICN2 and other universities found that ice produces electricity when it is bent or unevenly deformed.
Ice is a flexoelectric material, meaning it generates electric charge when mechanical stress is applied. This is a new discovery.
The study shows ice can create electricity across all temperatures up to 0°C, with special electric properties below -113°C. —Dr Xin Wen, ICN2
Ice’s surface acts like a magnet that can flip electric charges, showing it has two ways to make electricity: flexoelectricity and ferroelectricity.
Ice behaves like some advanced materials used in technology, such as titanium dioxide, which are found in sensors and capacitors.
This discovery may explain how ice particles get electrically charged in thunderstorms, leading to lightning strikes.
Lightning forms when charged ice particles collide and build electric potential; flexoelectricity could be the key to this charging process.
The team measured electric potential from bending ice, matching effects seen in storm cloud ice collisions. —Prof Gustau Catalán, ICN2
Ice’s flexoelectricity might help scientists create new electronic devices that work in cold environments using ice as a key material.
This finding opens exciting research paths, blending nature’s wonders with future tech possibilities in electronics and weather understanding.
Read more at Phys.org. Research published in Nature Physics.