Controlling film topography to form highly hydrophobic waterborne coatings

• Published in: Soft matter 2016-08, Vol.12 (33), p.75-711
• Main Authors: Lpez, Ana B, de la Cal, Jos C, Asua, Jos M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acrylates; Coatings; Copolymers; Cost engineering; Dispersions; Formations; Forming; Topography
• ISSN: 1744-683X; 1744-6848
• DOI: 10.1039/c6sm01081d

Coatings have a tremendous impact on economy as they reduce corrosion that has an estimated cost of 3% of the worlds GDP. Hydrophobic coatings are particularly efficient for this purpose and the challenge is to produce cost effective and environmentally friendly, highly hydrophobic, cohesive and non-porous coatings applicable to large and irregular surfaces. This work shows that this goal can be achieved by forming wrinkles on the surface of waterborne coatings through fine-tuning of the film forming conditions. The proof of concept was demonstrated by using waterborne dispersions of copolymers of 1 H ,1 H ,2 H ,2 H -perfluorodecyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, and using the temperature and hardness of the copolymer as control variables during film formation. This allowed the formation of transparent films with a wrinkled surface that had a contact angle of 133, which represents an increase of 20 with respect to the film cast under standard conditions. This work addresses the challenge of producing in a cost effective and environmentally friendly way, highly hydrophobic, cohesive and non-porous coatings applicable to large and irregular surfaces. This is achieved by controlling the topography of waterborne coatings through the fine-tuning of the film forming conditions.