Self-Healing Superhydrophobic Coatings

该项目的目的是开发具有超疏水和/或全疏水特性的自修复涂层。总体目标是研究能够从各种严重类型的损伤中自愈的涂层的形成。超疏水材料是广泛应用的关键，但由于缺乏自愈能力，其耐久性较差。该项目旨在解决的研究问题是，能否在保持高耐久性的同时，为超水材料开发出自愈特性。该学生将开发并进行材料的合成，并将研究具有自愈特性和耐久性的网状聚合物。这种表面可以应用于“易于清洁”的地板和墙壁覆层，用于医院等领域，通过清洁表面可以在一定程度上控制减少医院获得性感染，因此符合EPSRC的医疗保健技术主题领域。学生将接受培训，使用各种材料表征技术分析涂层，并测试所得涂层的功能特性。学生将继续开发双功能涂料（抗菌/超疏水或全疏水），并将其整合到涂料配方中。这将导致用于医院地板/墙壁覆层的新型或改进产品的开发，并与制造技术领域联系起来。进一步的发展也可能导致在交通领域的应用，如汽车轮毂。

This aim of this project is to develop self-healing coatings that also possess superhydrophobic and/or omniphobic properties. The overall objective is to investigate the formation of coatings that can self-heal from various severe types of damage. Superhyrophobic materials are key for a wide range of applications but they suffer from poor durability due to their lack of self-healing ability. The research question that the project aims to address is whether self-healing properties can be developed for superhydrophic materials while also maintaining high durability. The student will develop and carry out the synthesis of the materials and will investigate network based polymers which can impart the self-healing property and durability. Such surfaces could find application in 'easy-to-clean' flooring and wall cladding utilised in areas such as hospitals allowing some control towards reducingI hospital acquired infections via cleaner surfaces and hence fits with the healthcare technologies theme area of the EPSRC. The student will be trained to analyse the coatings using the full range of materials characterisation techniques and also to test the functional properties of the resulting coatings. The student with then progress onto developing dual functionality coatings (antimicrobial / superhydrophobic or omniphobic) and integration into coating formulations. This will lead to the development of novel or improved products for use in hospital flooring / wall cladding and links in with the manufacturing technologies area. Further developments could also result in applications within transport, such as car wheel hubs.