The Need

Materials with a coating that repels both water and oil would be advantageous across a wide variety of industries and products. Benefits of this kind of coating could include anti­fouling, self-cleaning, and anti­smudging capabilities. While modern clear coats and paints do offer protection against water or oil, there are a lack of solutions able to protect against both while also retaining effectiveness in the event of physical property changes to the underlying surface.

The Technology

The proposed coating is made of nanoparticles dispersed in a binder that results in a durable, superhydrophobic and superoleophobic surface. The nanoparticles used are hydrophobic and about 10 nm in length. The binder holds the nanoparticles and adheres to the substrate and then, the nanoparticle and binder coating is chemically activated using ultraviolet­ozone treatment. After activation, a layer of fluorosilane is deposited for water repellency (hydrophobicity) and oil repellency (oleophobicity). The coating shows substrate independency and has been successfully applied to glass, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), and polypropylene (PP). It also exhibits repellency to surfactant-containing liquids such as shampoos and laundry detergents.

Commercial Applications

• Oil & Gas Machinery
• Glass or plastic screen coating
• Automotive surfaces
• Aerospace surfaces
• Marine surfaces

Benefits/Advantages

• The repellency of the coating against both oil and water offers numerous surfaces a wide range of protection from degradation.
• A coating that repels both oil and water would be useful for marine vehicles to reduce drag, thereby leading to improved fuel efficiency.
• The coating's substrate independency allows for applicability to any surface with a change in physical properties.

Patent Protection

• United States Patent No. 11,174,397