Ultra-thin Self-Healing Vitrimer Coating
Self-healing coatings can be bulky and stiff from reliance on secondary scaffolds. We used naturally self-healing polymers networks called vitrimers to create ultra-thin coatings applicable to many surfaces. With high efficiency in water condensation and heat transfer, plus being optically transparent and super-hydrophobic, this coating can be used in many industries from solar panels to phone screens.
Commercial fluorinated coatings experience droplet pinning when cut, which hinders condensation and roll-off for a successful de-wetting coating.
PDMS vitrimers coatings self-heal cuts and abrasions to enable sustained droplet condensation over long periods of time.
Coating the PDMS vitrimer (1.7:1 ratio) onto a hydrochloric acid- etched aluminum substrate with micron-scale roughness created a superhydrophobic surface with contact angle of 157 degrees.
This collaboration between Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign led to the creation of a patent based on the PDMS vitrimer chemistry and coating fabrication method.
Paper lead authors from left to right: Dr. Laura E. Porath, Prof. Nenad Miljkovic, Prof. Chris M. Evans, Dr. Jingcheng Ma
Photo credit: L. Brian Stauffer for University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering