| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/L79632/01 |
| Title: |
SELF-ASSEMBLED ULTRA-LOW SURFACE ENERGY COATINGS |
| Principal Investigator: |
Badyal, Professor JP |
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| Department: |
Chemistry |
| Organisation: |
Durham, University of |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
15 October 1997 |
Ends: |
14 October 2000 |
Value (£): |
121,945
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Materials Characterisation |
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| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Materials with ultra-low surface energies (<20 mNm-1) are highly sought after since they can repel polar as well as non-polar substances. They also provide low coefficients of friction and offer protection against environmental fouling. In the past, the standard systems for low surface energy have been polytetraflurorethylene or polydimethylsiloxane. Application of these materials as ultra-thin layers is limited because of their poor adherence, lack of uniformity and the need for organic solvents during application. One potential way forward is to attach readily available fluorinated surfactants to a well adhered polyelectrolyte layer, thereby forming self-assembled polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes. This will be attempted via a three step process. Firstly, a plasma polymerised polyelectrolyte precursor coating will deposited directly onto a glass substrate to generate a well-adhered layer. This will be followed by conversion of the coating into an anionic polyelectroplyte surface. Finally, polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexation will be carried out in an aqueous solution of fluorinated surfactant. The surface energies of such systems can be expected to be much lower than for PTFE due to packing and alignment of the fluorocarbon tails away from the underlying substrate, hence effectively exposing a layer of CF3 groups towards the air interface.
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Key Findings |
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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