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Updated: May 8, 2026

Synthesis of Hydrogels with Antifouling Properties As Membranes for Water Purification
Published on: April 7, 2017
Superhydrophobic polymer multilayers that promote the extended, long-term release of embedded water-soluble agents
Uttam Manna1, Michael J Kratochvil, David M Lynn
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
Abstract:
Polymer multilayers that exhibit surface and bulk superhydrophobicity are demonstrated to promote long-term release of water-soluble agents (for ca.1 year) when submerged in water. The extremely nonwetting nature of these materials prevents rapid influx of water, addressing a key limitation inherent to polyelectrolytebased multilayers that release imbedded agents quickly. Our results provide new and potentially general principles for the design of surface coatings in the context of controlled release.
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Solubility
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...

