Repellent materials. Robust self-cleaning surfaces that function when exposed to either air or oil

Yao Lu; Sanjayan Sathasivam; Jinlong Song; Colin R Crick; Claire J Carmalt; Ivan P Parkin

doi:10.1126/science.aaa0946

Repellent materials. Robust self-cleaning surfaces that function when exposed to either air or oil

Science. 2015 Mar 6;347(6226):1132-5. doi: 10.1126/science.aaa0946.

Authors

Yao Lu¹, Sanjayan Sathasivam¹, Jinlong Song², Colin R Crick³, Claire J Carmalt¹, Ivan P Parkin⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK.
² Key Laboratory for Precision and Non-traditional Machining Technology of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK. i.p.parkin@ucl.ac.uk.

PMID: 25745169
DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa0946

Abstract

Superhydrophobic self-cleaning surfaces are based on the surface micro/nanomorphologies; however, such surfaces are mechanically weak and stop functioning when exposed to oil. We have created an ethanolic suspension of perfluorosilane-coated titanium dioxide nanoparticles that forms a paint that can be sprayed, dipped, or extruded onto both hard and soft materials to create a self-cleaning surface that functions even upon emersion in oil. Commercial adhesives were used to bond the paint to various substrates and promote robustness. These surfaces maintained their water repellency after finger-wipe, knife-scratch, and even 40 abrasion cycles with sandpaper. The formulations developed can be used on clothes, paper, glass, and steel for a myriad of self-cleaning applications.