Liquid propylene-glycol (PG) has long been used as an anti-icing substance, for example, by spraying on an airplane parked in an airport. In applications, large quantities of PG flow away, which is costly and raises environmental concerns. Here we report propylene-glycol materials, including PG-gels and PG-gel/cotton composites. A PG-gel consists of PG molecules as a solvent and a polymer network. PG evaporates slowly, and the polymer network retains the PG molecules so long as the gel is not in contact with running water. Water and PG form a eutectic system with an eutectic temperature of −60 °C. When ice falls on the surface of the gel, the ice and the PG molecules compete for water molecules, and thermodynamics dictates that the ice should lose water molecules to the PG molecules, so that ice melts and water molecules dissolve in the gel. A liquid-like layer exists on the ice/gel interface, the adhesion energy between the gel and ice is low, and ice readily slides on the gel. We peel a PG-gel from ice, and measure a low adhesion energy of $\sim$3 Jm⁻² at temperatures about −35 °C. We further demonstrate PG-gel/cotton composites as tough, anti-icing blankets. The blankets are reusable if one removes water by dehydration, and replenish PG by submerging the blanket in liquid PG.

液体丙二醇（PG）长期以来一直用作防冰剂，例如通过喷洒在停放在机场的飞机上。在应用中，大量的PG会流失，这不仅成本高昂，而且会引起环境问题。在这里，我们报告了丙二醇材料，包括PG-凝胶和PG-凝胶/棉复合材料。PG凝胶由作为溶剂的PG分子和聚合物网络组成。PG缓慢蒸发，只要凝胶不与自来水接触，聚合物网络就会保留PG分子。水和PG形成共晶系统，共晶温度为-60°C。当冰落在凝胶表面上时，冰和PG分子争夺水分子，并且热力学表明，冰应将水分子输给PG分子，从而使冰融化，水分子溶解在凝胶中。冰/凝胶界面上存在液体状层，凝胶和冰之间的粘附能很低，冰很容易在凝胶上滑动。我们从冰上剥下PG凝胶，并测量了$〜$在约-35°C的温度下为3 Jm ^-2。我们进一步展示了PG-凝胶/棉复合材料作为坚韧的防冰毯。如果人们通过脱水除去水，然后通过将毯子浸入液体PG中来补充PG，则毯子可以重复使用。