A novel mono‐methacryloyloxy terminated fluorinated macromonomer used for the modification of UV curable acrylic copolymers

A novel macromonomer containing fluorinated units (PHFBMA‐GMA) was synthesized through a two‐step procedure: firstly, hexafluoro‐butyl methacrylate (HFBMA) was polymerized in the presence of functional chain transfer agent 3‐mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and then the carboxyl acid group terminated polymer was end‐capped with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). Chemical structures of PHFBMA‐GMA were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Subsequently, PHFBMA‐GMA was employed as reactive surface additives added into UV‐cured polyacrylate to modify UV‐curable coatings. It is convenient to control the tail length of the fluorinated segments in this study by adjusting the ratio of initiator and chain transfer agent. The influence of both the concentration and the molecular weight of PHFBMA‐GMA on the surface properties of UV‐cured films was investigated. With increasing both the concentration and the molecular weight of PHFBMA‐GMA, the surface energy of the UV‐cured films decreased. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to characterize and quantify the surface composition and the results confirm the enrichment of fluorinate atoms on the surface. Moreover, the physical properties of UV‐cured films, such as gel content, water absorption, pencil hardness, adhesion, chemical resistance, mechanical properties, optical transmittance, and thermal properties, were also investigated in detail. The novel macromonomer was economical but effective to modify the properties of the UV‐curable coatings. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43116.     

Synthesis of hydrophilic to superhydrophobic SU8 surfaces

In published literature, it is widely reported that the plasma treatment and funtionalization with Octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self‐assembled monolayer (SAM) can individually alter the wetting properties of SU8 surface. A combination of the two approaches gives better results and the synergism of the two approaches produces a superhydrophobic SU8 surface, which is presented in this work. We have investigated various composition of plasma for treatment of SU8 surfaces and permuted the treated SU8 surfaces with deposition of OTS SAM. In all such synergized experiments, we obtained water contact angle higher than 150°, which is much higher than the one that can be obtained with individual application of the two approaches. The combined approach presented in this work is suitable for bulk production of superhydrophobic surface, and is a mask‐less process, which makes it cost effective. The surface topography, wetting, and chemical properties of SU8 surfaces were characterized using the contact angle goniometry, atomic force microscopy, FTIR, Raman, and XPS spectra. The superhydrophobic SU8 surfaces were observed to be stable even after five months. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41934.     

Functionalized polysiloxane coatings on hot‐rolled and high‐strength Fe 430 B steel: Analysis of mechanical response and resistance to chemicals

Hybrid organic‐inorganic coatings can be extremely beneficial to improve the performance of steel substrates as their outstanding adhesion strength, scratch resistance, and chemical endurance. However, the design and manufacture of the appropriate coating systems on the different metal alloys can be troublesome. Defective coatings can cause the deterioration of their performance, especially the resistance to aggressive chemicals. In this work, the deposition of functionalized methyl phenyl polysiloxane resins on hot rolled and high strength Fe 430 B steel substrates with and without an intermediate layer of a hybrid organic‐inorganic grafting polymer (vinyltriethoxysilane) is comparatively evaluated. Visual appearance, scratch and wear resistance of the coatings as well as their attitude to act as chemical proof barriers are investigated. Proper functionalization of methyl phenyl polysiloxane resins with hydroxyl and alkoxy groups can lead to coatings that are well adhered to the underlying substrates, thus exploiting all the performance they were designed for. In this case, the use of an organo‐silane interlayer can further increment the final properties of the overall coating systems. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40624.     

Synthesis of fluorinated polypropylene using CuAAC click chemistry

Synthesis of fluorine containing polypropylene (PP F) from chlorinated polypropylene (PP Cl) via Cu(I) catalyzed Huisgen type 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (CuAAC) and its water repellency properties are demonstrated. Initially, clickable azido-functional polypropylene (PP N₃) and alkyne-functionalized fluorine compound (F Al) are independently prepared by nucleophilic substitution of PP Cl with azidotrimethylsilane-tetrabutylammonium fluoride and esterification reactions of 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5-octafluoro-1-pentanol with 4-pentyonic acid. The CuAAC reaction between PP N₃ and F Al leads to corresponding PP F under mild conditions. The chemical structures and surface properties of desired PP F are characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H-NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, and contact angle analyses. Based on water contact angle (WCA) measurement, it is found that both PP Cl and PP N₃ films have shown similar hydrophobicity, whereas the WCA of PP F is surprisingly decreased due to the presence of ester and triazole groups coming from F Al compound and the clicked product. This facile modification procedure could be utilized in order to alter the wetting or thermal properties of the commercial polymers for potential applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47072.     

Effect of plasma duty cycle on silver nanoparticles loading of cotton fabrics for durable antibacterial properties

A facile method for strongly anchoring silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) onto cotton fabrics was reported. It consists in loading AgNPs onto the cotton fiber preliminary coated with maleic anhydride plasma polymer layer. This results in hydrolyzis and ring opening of anhydride groups followed by electrovalent bonding of silver ions and reduction in NaBH₄. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to analyze changes in the surface chemical composition and morphology of the plasma modified fibers. The presence of AgNPs was confirmed by UV–Visible spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. Remarkably, varying plasma duty cycle for plasma polymer deposition allowed tailoring the amount of loaded AgNPs. The highest amount of AgNPs was obtained with the lowest duty cycle values. Qualitative tests showed that silver containing plasma modified cotton displays significant antibacterial activity. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41279.     

A robust and coarse surface mesh modified by interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel for oil‐water separation

A robust and coarse surface mesh was fabricated by introducing a hydrogel coating with interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) structure on stainless steel mesh. The IPN hydrogel was prepared by crosslinking polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) followed by condensation reaction of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and glutaraldehyde (GA) at room temperature. As a result, the roughness of modified mesh was enhanced obviously and oil droplet underwater showed a larger contact angle. The hydrogel‐coated surface showed an underwater superoleophobicity with an oil contact angle of 153.92 ± 1.08^°. Besides, stable wettability was observed. The mesh can selectively separate oil from water with a high separation efficiency of above 99.8%. This work provides a facile method to strengthen the coating and enhance the efficiency of oil‐water separation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41949.     

Fluorinated networks dynamics studied by means of broadband dielectric spectroscopy

The influence of the surface chemical modification on the bulk behavior of epoxy based networks has been studied. In particular, the bulk dynamics of epoxy‐amine networks modified with fluorinated side chains has been characterized by means of broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The fluorination effect on the structure and dynamics of the materials has been related with the observed changes in both segmental and secondary relaxations. An acceleration of the segmental dynamics as the fluorination degree increases has been clearly observed. As a result, a compromise between fluorine surface enrichment and bulk modification has been proposed for these materials. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42690.     

Improvement of gas barrier property of polyolefins by diamond‐like carbon deposition and photografting polymerization

The gas barrier properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) are both significantly improved by diamond‐like carbon (DLC) deposition and photografting polymerization using acrylic acid (AA) monomers. In fact, the gas barrier properties can be highly improved just by DLC or by AA‐photografting polymerization. The improvement observed by AA‐photografting polymerization is more pronounced than that by DLC deposition in our general experimental condition. In more detail, the oxygen barrier property of DLC‐deposited and AA‐grafted iPP is considerably improved by ～10 times when compared with that of neat iPP. As for HDPE, the oxygen barrier property is enhanced by nearly six times through DLC deposition and photografting polymerization. By observing the surfaces, 30 nm layer of DLC and 1.0 μm of AA‐grafted layer are firmly constructed on the polyolefins, which should contribute to the enhancement of the oxygen barrier property. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Synthesis of fluoroalkyl‐modified polyester and its application in improving the hydrophobicity and oleophobicity of cured polyester coatings

The fluoroalkyl‐modified polyester (PE‐F_n) was synthesized by the reaction of polyester resin (PE) and fluorinated isocyanate, and the structure of the synthesized product was characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR) and fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance (¹⁹F‐NMR). The water and oil wettability of the cured PE coatings with PE‐F_n as additives was investigated by contact angle meter. The results showed that the introduction of an extremely low concentration of PE‐F_n into PE led to the increase in contact angle of water and diiodomethane on cured PE coatings, and the decrease in the surface free energy. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis showed that the F/C molar ratio in the outer few nanometers was significantly higher than that in the bulk, indicating that the fluoroalkyl groups in PE‐F_n had enriched on the coating surface. It was also found that longer fluoroalkyl groups and fluoroalkyl groups with ? CF₃ at its end had the higher tendency to aggregate on the coating surface. The topological structures of the cured coatings were recorded by an atomic force microscope under tapping mode and the results revealed that there was a strong surface segregation of fluorinated species. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 39812.     

Preparation of organic–inorganic hybridized dual-functional antifog/antireflection coatings on plastic substrates

Dual-functional antifog/antireflection coatings with a special bi-layer structure for plastic substrates were prepared. The superhydrophilic top layer was a crosslinked network of dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPHA), hydrophilic agent (synthesized from Tween 20, isophorone diisocyanate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), and organically modified silica. The high-refractive-index bottom layer was composed of TiO₂ nanoparticles and DPHA. The two layers were chemically bonded through a UV-curing process. By tuning the thicknesses of the two layers, a series of coatings were prepared. These coatings were highly transparent and able to reduce reflectance. In addition, they adhered well to the substrate, and demonstrated superb antifogging capability on steam tests. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48822.     

Pullulan‐based films and coatings for food packaging: Present applications,emerging opportunities,and future challenges

Societal and industrial demands for lower environmental impact, cost effectiveness, and high‐performance goods and services are increasingly impacting the choice of technologies which are developed and deployed in consumer products. Like many other sectors, food packaging is moving to new technologies; the use of biopolymers is one of the most promising strategies toward an optimized use of traditional packaging materials (e.g., oil‐based plastics) without impairing the goal of extending shelf life. Among other food packaging materials, pullulan is attracting much attention due to its unique features. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of current and emerging applications of pullulan within the food packaging sector. In particular, the functional properties of interest for the food packaging industry will be discussed in light of the physicochemical attributes of this exopolysaccharide. Future challenges that may dictate the successful penetration of pullulan in the food packaging market are also outlined. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40539.     

Long-term-durable anti-icing superhydrophobic composite coatings

We prepared carbon-based superhydrophobic composite coatings through a quick technique, merging multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) to obtain hierarchical nanostructures on fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets; this was followed by supercritical fluid (SCF) processing and physical mixing (PM). The prepared SCF–MWCNT–CNF and PM–MWCNT–CNF composite coatings showed high water contact angles of 171.6 and 160°. The surface morphologies of the composite coatings revealed a lot of even nanostructures and folding at high magnifications. A high number of CNFs were added to the MWCNTs to initiate different nanoroughnesses in the composite coatings. The as-prepared superhydrophobic composite coatings showed excellent anti-icing properties, as indicated by the supercooled water droplet (-20°C) test under environmental conditions. Also, the surface of the SCF–MWCNT–CNF superhydrophobic composite coating showed excellent antifouling properties. We studied the surface wettability increasing different temperatures (30–180°C) in the SCF–MWCNT–CNF composite; this exposed the fact that the FRP sheets were thermally stable up to 100°C, and a while later, they changed from a superhydrophobic state to a superhydrophilic state at 180°C. This study revealed an economically workable method for the preparation of MWCNT–CNF composites with SCF techniques. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47059.     

Fabrication of superhydrophobic coatings based on nanoparticles and fluoropolyurethane

Hydrophobic nanosilica or nanofluoric particles were mixed with fluoropolyurethane resin to fabricate superhydrophobic coatings that have contact angles higher than 145°. These coatings were prepared from the simple mixing of nanoparticles in fluoropolymer and were cured at room temperature. Different fractions of nanosilica, nanofluoric particles, and the combination of them were used to find the best formulations of superhydrophobic coatings. Contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, sliding angle, hardness, and UV durability tests were conducted to find the effectiveness of these coatings. The results showed that only fluoropolyurethane coatings containing nanosilica or the combination of it and fluoric particles were superhydrophobic. Also, the hardness of coatings was increased by raising nanoparticle concentrations. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Incorporation of different proportions of polytetrafluoroethylene and graphene into polyethersulfone matrix as efficient anticorrosive coatings

To solve defects existing in polyethersulfone (PES) coatings and improve their performance, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and functionalized graphene (fG) are incorporated into PES coatings to develop a new PES-PTFE/fG coating. The incorporation vastly improves the anticorrosion properties of the coatings due to the synergistic effect of PTFE's low surface energy and fG's “labyrinth effect” and their filling effects. Moreover, results of research on the effects of different adding proportions of PTFE and fG on coatings properties show that PES-PTFE/fG₁ exhibits the lowest water absorption and still possesses high anticorrosion properties after long-term corrosion tests, suggesting that it has optimal anticorrosion properties. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47942.     

Fabrication of ZnO-functionalized polypyrrole microcomposite as a protective coating to enhance anticorrosion performance of low carbon mild steel

In the present work, PPy, ZnO, and polypyrrole/zinc oxide (PPy/ZnO) microcomposites (1, 2, and 5 wt%) were prepared and their properties have been tuned for anticorrosion applications on low carbon mild steel. The synthesized products: ZnO, PPy, and composites were characterized by various sophisticated analytical techniques such as XRD, FTIR, Raman, FESEM, EDX, UV–VIS, TGA, and BET. The band frequencies observed at 480 and 588 cm⁻¹ in FTIR spectrum correspond to stretching vibrations of Zn-O and N-H bonds, respectively, broadening of the bands in the composites indicate strong interactions between ZnO and PPy matrix. The potentiodynamic polarization study of PPy and PPy/ZnO composite was carried out in 3.5% NaCl solution to investigate the corrosion resistance efficiency. PPy/1 wt% ZnO (I_corr = 190 nA) composite coating on low carbon mild steel was observed to exhibit best corrosion protection property compared to PPy (121 μA), 2 and 5 wt% ZnO (242, 295 nA) composites. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48319.     

Surface modification of polypropylene by the entrapping method using the short‐chained stearyl‐alcohol poly(ethylene oxide) ether modifier

On the basis of the short‐chained modifier of stearyl‐alcohol poly(ethylene oxide) ether (AEO), an entrapping modification was carried out on the polypropylene (PP) surface for hydrophilic improvement. A swelling layer was confirmed locating in the amorphous region on the PP surface, from which the modifiers could penetrate into the surface. The AEO‐8 modifier achieved the optimal hydrophilic modification on the surface with a contact angle of 20.6° and modifier coverage of 19.2%. A microphase separation was speculated to occur between the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chain of AEO and the PP substrate in the entrapping surface, after which surface‐enriched PEO chains could improve surface hydrophilicity, simultaneously, reserved stearyl chains in the surface could approach modifier fixation. Water immersion durability of the modified surface could be improved by establishing a covalent linkage in the surface‐fixed structure. This work gives more comprehensive insights in the entrapping modification on the semi‐crystalline PP surface based on the short‐chained and block modifier. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43607.     

The influence of size and healing content on the performance of extrinsic self-healing coatings

Among the several approaches for the protection of metallic structures from corrosion, covering with a polymeric coating has attracted more attention due to their convenient application, cost-effective price, and the relatively benign environmental impact. However, the polymeric coatings are sensitive to mechanical/thermal shocks and aggressive environments, leading to damages in the coatings that affect their barrier performance. Self-healing polymeric coatings have introduced remarkable development by extending the service life and reducing maintenance costs, leading to a significant boost in the reliability and durability of the conventional polymeric coatings. Among the different strategies to develop self-polymeric coatings, encapsulating healing agent within micro/nanocapsules, micro/nanofibers, and microvascular systems and incorporating them within the conventional coatings have been widely acknowledged as the most applicable approach. However, several factors, such as the effect of the healing system's size and content, have a significant influence on healing performance. Therefore, this review aims to reveal the effects of healing system size and healing content on the self-healing performance in polymeric coatings through the analysis of recently published articles.     

Synthesis of pyridinium polysiloxane for antibacterial coating in supercritical carbon dioxide

Antibacterial polysiloxane with pyridinium pendants was synthesized through hydrosilylation reaction of trimethylsiloxane terminated (45% methylhydrosiloxane)–dimethylsiloxane random copolymer and 4‐vinylpyridine and subsequent N‐alkylation of pyridine ring with 1‐bromohexane. The pyridinium polysiloxane was coated on cotton and formed a 35 nm layer via a novel method of deposition in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) for biocidal application. The coated fabrics provided effective antibacterial activities against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli compared with uncoated ones that did not exhibit noticeable biocidal activities. The pyridinium polysiloxane coating layer on cotton was stable toward storage in air and washing cycles. The scCO₂ deposition technique uses ecologically responsible CO₂ as solvent and is hypothesized to work on both reactive and nonreactive surfaces due to without the use of covalent tethering groups. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41723.     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorinated organic–inorganic hybrid coatings on tinplate

Fluorinated organic–inorganic hybrid coatings with interpenetrating network for corrosion protection of tinplate were prepared by hydrolysis and condensation reaction of tetraethoxysilane and 3‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, followed by radical polymerization of trimethylolpropane triacrylate dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate. The highly crosslinked organic network was developed and attached to the inorganic moieties through covalent Si–C bonds. The hybrid coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscope, water contact angle, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Their anticorrosion performances were evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and salt spray test. The results indicated that the fluorinated hybrid coatings exhibited excellent anticorrosion ability by forming a hydrophobic physical barrier between tinplate substrate and its external environment. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42428.     

Chromatic response of cationic polydiacetylene vesicles induced by permeation of target compound

A polydiacetylene vesicle was formed by sonication and UV irradiation of the diacetylene DPAI-bis-PCDA, which has quaternary ammonium head group. A color-changeable detection system during permeation of the target compound from inside to outside the vesicle was prepared using this vesicle. A mixed vesicle system with DPAI-bis-PCDA and dioctadecyldimethylammonium chloride (DODMAC) was used in this study. DODMAC was necessary to exhibit sufficient color change. Methotrexate and neomycin were used as target compounds, and the optimum ratio of DPAI-bis-PCDA to DODMAC for sufficient color change was determined. When MTX was used as the target compound, 6:4 was the optimum ratio, whereas it was 7:3 for neomycin.