The Ice-Repelling Secrets of Polar Bear Fur
Scientists unlock ice-repelling secrets of polar bear fur for sustainable anti-freezing solutions.

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An international study published in Science Advances has explored the anti-icing properties of polar bear fur in extreme Arctic conditions, revealing a unique mix of lipids in the fur’s sebum – an oily substance produced by the skin - that drastically reduces ice adhesion. In the face of climate change, this natural design could help prevent ice buildup on infrastructure such as frozen wind turbine blades or airplane wings.
Key to this discovery are the advanced quantum chemical simulations carried out by the University of Surrey’s computational chemistry team, which investigated molecular interactions between the fur’s sebum and ice.
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Subscribe for FREEExperiments confirmed these theoretical findings, measuring ice adhesion strength before and after the fur’s natural oils were removed. Researchers found that untreated polar bear fur performed on par with high-performance fluorocarbon coatings used in sports and industry. However, when it was washed to remove the sebum, ice adhesion was four times higher than unwashed samples.
The study also explored the fur’s hydrophobicity – its water-repelling properties – and how it delays the onset of freezing in the harsh Arctic, where temperatures drop below -40°C. Yet these properties alone could not explain the superior anti-icing performance.
Using techniques such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the team found it was a unique mix of lipids – particularly an abundance of cholesterol and diacylglycerols – responsible for this ability.
Led by the Norwegian Polar Institute and the University of Bergen – with contributions from Trinity College Dublin, University College London, and the National Museum of Denmark – the research also highlights the importance of Indigenous knowledge of the Arctic and builds on that. Inuit communities have long recognized the unique properties of polar bear fur, using it in tools and garments.
Dr. Sacchi’s computational team at Surrey included Dr. Neubi F. Xavier Jr. and Adam Pestana Motala, who carried out the molecular modeling that underpins the study’s conclusions.
Reference: Carolan J, Jakubec M, Xavier NF, et al. Anti-icing properties of polar bear fur. Sci. Adv. 2025. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ads7321
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