For most of us, ice is a hazard. It makes roads dangerously slippery and sidewalks treacherous. This frozen form of water is something we usually try to avoid.
Yet, new research suggests that bending ice and adding salt to it could transform this winter nuisance into a potential source of sustainable power.
Xin Wen and his team at Xi’an Jiatong University in China discovered that ice is flexoelectric. That means it can generate electricity when bent.
Scientists had previously observed faint electrical activity in colliding glaciers or stressed ice sheets. But no one had figured out how to make the effect powerful enough for practical use—until now.
The breakthrough lies in salty ice. In their experiments, the researchers froze water with different amounts of ordinary salt (NaCl).
They created samples in shapes such as cones, beams, and slabs. These were then tested for their electrical output.
Salt unlocks hidden currents
To measure performance, the team used a three-point bending test. They placed ice on two supports and pushed down from above.
This bent the samples, generating electricity. The results were striking. Bending salty ice produced up to 1,000 times more electrical charge than pure ice.
Microscopy and Raman spectroscopy revealed why salt made such a difference. It stops ice from freezing completely, leaving behind microscopic channels of salty water.
When pressure bends the ice, this liquid flows through the channels. Because moving water carries charge, the flow creates what scientists call a streaming current.
The scale of the opportunity is significant. Ice covers about 10% of Earth’s surface. If harnessed, this frozen landscape could become a surprising new power source.
As the team puts it, “The high flexoelectricity of saline ice brings the vision of harnessing ice power one step closer to reality, and may also be relevant to the electrical activity of ice-covered terrestrial regions and icy ocean worlds such as Europa or Enceladus.”
Promise meets tough limits
The findings, however, come with caveats. Saline ice devices face mechanical fatigue. After many cycles of bending, their power-generating capacity drops by up to 80%.
Efficiency also lags behind commercial piezoelectric devices. A good portion of the energy is lost as heat during the process.
Still, the potential remains exciting. Imagine clean electricity generated from glaciers, ice sheets, or engineered saline ice structures.
Such power could prove vital in cold regions where conventional energy sources are harder to deploy.
The implications stretch beyond Earth, too. Icy moons like Europa and Enceladus, which scientists already suspect harbor subsurface oceans, could one day provide natural laboratories for this phenomenon.
For now, the research is still at an early stage. Engineers will need to find ways to reduce energy loss and improve durability. Yet, the discovery reframes how we see ice. Not just as a frozen hazard but as a possible partner in the transition to sustainable energy.
The findings have been published in the journal Nature Materials.