Stressed Ice Generates Electricity, Researchers Find
Don’t mess with ice. When it’s stressed, ice can get seriously sparky. Scientists have discovered that ordinary ice—the same substance found in iced coffee or the frosty sprinkle on mountaintops—is imbued with remarkable electromechanical properties. Ice is flexoelectric, so when it’s bent, stretched, or twisted, it can generate electricity, according to a Nature Physics paper published August 27. What’s more, ice’s peculiar electric properties appear to change with temperature, leading researc