Synthesis and characterization of nanoparticles for water-repellent coating applications

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This research proposal describes an initial partnership between the University of Victoria and RT Primetechnologies for the development of water repellent (super hydrophobic) films. A general problem withdifferent types of surfaces in different areas, including textiles, medical, automotives and military, is related totheir wettability. Ideally, there are cases where it would be highly desirable to tailor the surface properties suchthat it can not accumulate water. For instance, a car window that does not accumulate water would providemuch better visibility under rain and fog. A super hydrophobic vest can improve buoyancy or keep a soldier dryunder adverse weather situations. There are several approaches to coat surfaces that impart hydrophobicity.However, a general technology that can be directly applied in different types of surfaces is not available. Herewe suggest to use nanoparticles to develop a super hydrophobic liquid that can be applied on several differentsituations. The goal, within the time frame of the ENGAGE program, will be mostly to test different syntheticroutes for nanoparticle fabrication and functionalization. Successful systems will be directly transferred to RTPrime that will evaluate their commercialization potential and further develop the technology.