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Polymerization of monomer aggregates for tailoring and patterning water wettability
Manideepa Dhar1, Chittaranjan Mishra1, Avijit Das1
1Bio-Inspired Polymeric Materials Lab, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati, Kamrup, Assam 781039, India. umanna@iitg.ac.in.
Abstract:
An approach of 'polymerization of monomers in its aggregated form' is unprecedentedly introduced to (i) tailor the water wettability of fibrous and porous substrates from hydrophobicity to superhydrophobicity, and (ii) associate patterned wettability. A solution of selected monomers-i.e., alkyl acrylate in a good solvent (indicating high solubility; ethanol) was transferred into a bad solvent (refers to poor solubility; water) to achieve a stable dispersion of monomer aggregates of size <1 μm for deposition on fibrous and porous substrates. Its photopolymerization provided a durable coating with the ability to tailor the water wettability from 134° to 153°. Furthermore, a spatially selective photopolymerization process yielded a patterned interface of superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity. Such a facile chemical approach with the ability to provide a durable coating embedded with tailored and patterned wettability would be useful for various potential applications.
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