Antifreeze to improve airplanes, ice cream and organ transplants 

• Design of aeroplane wings and storing organs for transplant both set to be safer and more effective, thanks to synthetic antifreeze developed by University of Warwick
• Inspired by natural antifreeze proteins, researchers create iron-based synthetic imitation which has been shown to slow growth of ice crystals
• Could protect aeroplane wings and wind turbines from ice damage, make ice cream smoother, or make freezing human tissue for transplantation safer
• Design rules for making antifreeze proteins have been blown wide open by research

The design of aeroplane wings and storing organs for transplant could both become safer and more effective, thanks to a synthetic antifreeze which prevents the growth of ice crystals, developed by researchers at the University of Warwick.

Taking inspiration from Antifreeze Proteins (AFPs) which occur in nature, researchers from the Department of Chemistry and Warwick Medical School have developed iron-based synthetic imitations, which have been shown to slow to growth of ice crystals.

The researcher ...