Measurement on nano scale by scanning probe microscope for obtaining real ice adhesion force

•The real ice adhesion force to the copper could be first measured by using the SPM.•The ice diameter to obtain the real ice adhesion force to the copper was less 80 nm.•The shearing stress defined as (ice adhesion force/ice adhesion area) was given.•The representative value for the proper shearing stress of the copper was 4.04 MPa.•The shearing stress for the glass obtained on the macro scale was also proper.

It is important to know a real ice adhesion force on a cooling solid surface. When an ice adhesion force is measured by giving a shearing force at the interface between the solid surface and ice, there is a possibility that a measured ice adhesion force is an apparent value including a force that destroys ice due to unevenness of the surface. Thus, to measure the ice adhesion force without influence of the surface unevenness, one of the authors developed a method for measuring the ice adhesion force on the nano scale by using a scanning probe microscope. In this paper, ice adhesion forces to copper oxide and hard glass test plates were measured at −5 °C on the nano scale by this method, and the real ice adhesion forces could be measured. Moreover, the representative value of proper shearing stresses obtained by real ice adhesion forces divided each ice adhesion area was given.