SBIR Phase I: Scratch and Abrasion Resistant Superhydrophobic Polymer Coatings

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目致力于控制聚合物纳米复合表面的化学性质和形态结构，范围从纳米到宏观，以实现超疏水和疏水性能，同时表现出耐刮擦性和耐磨性。我们的目标是将这一知识应用于制造大面积的超疏水和疏水表面，并以低成本用于商业和国防应用。纳米-微观-宏观尺度表面特征的材料设计将通过实验和基于模型的分析来指导，以优化表面的润湿性和机械耐久性。该项目对聚合物科学的贡献将包括基本了解聚合物结构、相对分子质量和粘度之间的关系，以形成具有特定结构的纳米复合材料，以及优化加工路线以实现所需的表面形态。对表面科学的贡献将包括了解几个不同长度尺度上的表面形态对液态水和过冷水滴的润湿行为的影响。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是改善食品处理设备的安全，以及受结冰条件影响的户外基础设施的性能和可靠性，如体育场屋顶、风力涡轮机、飞机和海军结构。用于清洗食物的设备可能会在保留水分的区域滋生细菌。通过应用耐刮擦和耐磨的超疏水表面，安全性将显著提高，因为水库中储存水的潜力将大大降低。能够抵抗过冷水的表面可以在户外使用，以防止冰层的形成和堆积。通过这种方式，可以提高许多建筑物的安全性，因为可以避免增加积冰的重量。例如，这些表面可以用来防止飞机表面积冰。避免积累相对少量的冰可以提供很大的安全边际，因为结冰对气流模式的影响，而不是增加的重量，是与结冰有关的飞机事故的原因。表面的机械耐用性将确保超疏水特性即使暴露在粗暴的操作条件下也能保持多年。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project strives to control the chemical properties and the morphological structure of a polymer nano-composite surface, at scales ranging from nanometers to the macroscopic, to achieve superhydrophobic and icephobic properties while exhibiting scratch and abrasion resistance. The goal is to apply this knowledge to manufacture superhydrophobic and icephobic surfaces over large areas and at low cost for commercial and defense applications. Materials design of nano-micro-macro scale surface features will be guided by experimental and model-based analysis to optimize the wetting and mechanical durability of the surfaces. This project's contributions to polymer science would include a fundamental understanding of the relationship between polymer structure, molecular weight and viscosity on the formation of nanocomposite materials with a specific structure, as well as optimization of a processing route to achieve a desired surface morphology. Contributions to surface science would include an understanding of the impact of surface morphology over several different length scales on the wetting behavior of liquid water as well as super-cooled water droplets. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project would be improvements in the safety of food handling equipment, as well as the performance and reliability of outdoor infrastructure that is subject to icing conditions, such as stadium roofs, wind turbines, aircraft, and naval structures. Equipment used to wash food can harbor bacterial in areas that retain water. By applying a scratch- and abrasion-resistant superhydrophobic surface, safety would be significantly improved, as the potential for water to be harbored in reservoirs would be greatly reduced. Surfaces that repel super-cooled water could be used outdoors to prevent the formation and accretion of ice layers. In this way the safety of numerous structures could be improved, as the added weight of ice accumulation would be avoided. For example, these surfaces could be used to prevent the accumulation of ice on aircraft surfaces. Avoiding the build-up of relatively small amounts of ice can provide a significant margin of safety, because the impact of icing on airflow patterns, rather than the added weight, is the cause of icing-related aircraft accidents. The mechanical durability of the surface would insure that the superhydrophobic properties are retained for many years even when exposed to rough handling conditions.