What is it about?
We have tested ways to make the metal parts that touch ice in winter sports more water-repellent. By changing the surface of steel runners using special coatings, we found that they slid more smoothly and with less friction on ice. This means athletes could move faster and use less energy. Our work could help improve sports equipment used on ice.
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Why is it important?
Our study introduces large-area, 3D-compatible coating methods that improve the water repellency of steel surfaces used in winter sports. Unlike previous research focused on material changes or polishing, we directly link surface hydrophobicity to reduced ice friction under high-speed, realistic conditions. This timely work offers a practical and scalable strategy to enhance performance in ice-based sports and could inspire new designs for low-friction equipment.
Perspectives
Writing this article was especially rewarding because it brought together our long-standing interests in tribology, surface engineering, and real-world applications in sports technology. It was exciting to see how subtle changes at the surface level could have such a measurable impact on performance in dynamic environments like ice. We hope this work not only contributes to the field of low-friction materials but also sparks further collaboration between researchers and sports engineers aiming to push the limits of human performance through better design.
Jaekang Kim
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Surface modification of steel runner with improved hydrophobicity for reducing the coefficient of friction for ice, Friction, May 2025, Tsinghua University Press,
DOI: 10.26599/frict.2025.9441021.
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