Collaborative Research: Universal Processing Approaches for Functional Brush-like Polymer Surfaces

表面涂层被广泛用于保护材料不被降解，抑制雾化和污垢，或调节与细胞和微生物的相互作用。然而，目前生产涂料的方法是缓慢的、多步骤的批处理过程。该奖项支持开发通用薄膜涂层的基础研究，这种涂层可以合成出几乎无限的功能，并应用于各种表面。这项研究涉及使用刷状聚合物材料，并与在金属、玻璃和塑料上沉积的低成本技术相结合。这项工作有可能对半导体制造、包装、运输和医疗等领域的广泛商业流程产生影响。这两所大学的研究生和REU学生将接受包括聚合物合成、聚合物加工和表面科学在内的跨学科培训。PI和他们的团队通过休斯顿儿童博物馆参与社区推广，他们将设计一个新模块，演示具有功能表面(疏水和亲水)的塑料部件的3D打印。这一研究项目将建立可扩展和通用的制备功能性聚合物刷涂的方法。目前生产刷子涂层的方法是缓慢的、多步骤的批处理过程。PI计划使用瓶刷聚合物来生成功能涂层，瓶刷聚合物是一种具有“内置”刷子结构的大分子。瓶刷聚合物可以用几乎无限的化学性质和功能合成，它们可以从溶液或熔体状态加工成涂料。主要预期成果包括：i)反应性和响应性瓶刷聚合物流动涂层的设计规则，这种薄膜利用仿生的交联剂(多巴胺)来确保薄膜的稳定性和在任何表面上的附着力；ii)开发用于商品或先进塑料的表面活性瓶刷聚合物添加剂，它能够在溶液沉积(流动涂层、电纺)或熔融挤出(3D打印)过程中自发形成刷状表面。

Surface coatings are widely used to protect materials from degradation, inhibit fogging and fouling, or regulate interactions with cells and micro-organisms. However, current methods to produce coatings are slow, multi-step batch processes. This award supports fundamental research into the development of universal thin film coatings that can be synthesized with nearly limitless functions and applied to a wide variety of surfaces. The research involves the use of brush-like polymeric materials and integration with low-cost techniques for deposition on metal, glass, and plastics. This work has the potential to impact a broad range of commercial processes in semiconductor manufacturing, packaging, transportation, and medical treatment. Graduate students and REU students at both institutions will receive interdisciplinary training that includes polymer synthesis, polymer processing, and surface science. The PIs and their groups are involved with community outreach through the Children's Museum of Houston, and they will design a new module that demonstrates 3D printing of plastic parts with functional surfaces (hydrophobic and hydrophilic). This research project will establish scalable and universal approaches to prepare functional polymer brush coatings. Current methods to produce brush coatings are slow, multi-step batch processes. The PIs plan to generate functional coatings using bottlebrush polymers, a class of macromolecules that have "built-in" brush structures. Bottlebrush polymers can be synthesized with nearly limitless chemistries and functions, and they can be processed into coatings from solution or melt states. Significant anticipated outcomes include: i) Design rules for flow coating thin films of reactive and responsive bottlebrush polymers, which leverages a bio-inspired cross-linking chemistry (dopamine) to ensure film stability and adhesion on any surface; ii) Development of surface-active bottlebrush polymer additives for commodity or advanced plastics, which enables the spontaneous formation of brush-like surfaces during solution deposition (flow coating, electrospinning) or melt extrusion (3D printing).