Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

Wettability of solid surfaces with liquids is governed by the chemical properties and the microstructure of the surfaces. We report on the preparation of liquid-repellent surfaces using surface-attached monolayers of perfluorinated polymer molecules on porous silica substrates. A covalent attachment...

Wettability of solid surfaces with liquids is governed by the chemical properties and the microstructure of the surfaces. We report on the preparation of liquid-repellent surfaces using surface-attached monolayers of perfluorinated polymer molecules on porous silica substrates. A covalent attachment of the polymer molecules to the substrate is achieved by generation of the polymer chains through starting a surface-initiated radical-chain polymerization of a fluorinated monomer. To this, self-assembled monolayers of azo initiators are attached to silica substrates, which are used to kick off the polymerization reaction in situ. The growth of the fluorinated polymer films and the characterization of the obtained surfaces by surface plasmon spectroscopy, XPS, and contact angle measurements is described. It is shown that perfluorinated polymer films can be grown with controlled thicknesses on flat and even on porous silica surfaces, essentially without changing the surface roughness. The combination of the low surface energy coating and the surface porosity allows generation of materials which are both water and oil repellent.