Improved composite network via bismuth iodide for efficient ice-nucleating application

The urgent demand for electricity requires more safe energy transportation. AgI-based weather modification agents are commonly employed to facilitate ice nucleation and remove the undesirable glaze icing to suppress the negative effects of natural disasters. However, the intrinsic nucleation potency of AgI strictly limits its further improvement. Here, a hexagonal BiI₃ was added in AgI-based agents. The chemical interactions of BiI₃ and precursors optimize the crystallization of the polymer composite, leading to an oriented composite network. In addition, BiI₃ could alter the structure and morphology of the combustion products, therefore creating more possible heterogeneous nuclei sites. The resultant BiI₃-modified AgI-based weather modification agent exhibits an ice nucleation ∼ 10¹⁴, which is nearly ten times higher than the sample without AgI-BiI₃, leading to a 71.21 % enhancement of deicing efficiency compared to AgI sample. Our results indicate the effectiveness of BiI₃ dopant to improve both nucleation and deicing performance for weather modification applications.