Induction of Ductile Modes of Ice Fracture and Drastic Enhancement of Its Fracture Energy by Means of Introduction of Nanoscale Additives

The low strength and high brittleness of ice, with all attractiveness of its other properties, limit its wide application as a construction material in cold climate regions on the Earth (Arctic, Antarctic, and high-altitude regions on all continents) as well as in construction of habitable colonies on the Moon and Mars, planned by several countries. We experimentally investigated the possibility of increasing the bearing capacity and fracture energy of ice and nanocomposites on its basis by introduction of polyvinyl alcohol and SiO₂ nanoparticles into their composition. The concentration dependences of the effects improving these mechanical characteristics have been studied. The fundamental possibility and quantitative laws of the transition from the brittle fracture mode in pure ice to the ductile mode with an increase in the content of additives in ice composites and, as a consequence, dramatic (by two to three orders of magnitude) increase in their fracture energy have been established.