Polymer coatings with well-defined chemical composition and/or topography are commonly applied for decoration or protection but can also be used to fine-tune the materials performance towards a specific functionality or interaction with water. Crosslinked polymer networks are particularly interesting for this purpose: 1) they provide sufficient robustness and the necessary cohesion and adhesion of the polymer layer(s) onto a substrate; 2) they offer many possibilities to adjust the coating’s surface characteristics via different polymer precursors, crosslinkers and crosslinking configurations.
Prof. Catarina Esteves (TU Eindhoven) will present a few examples on how to design crosslinked polymer networks on surfaces with low or high surface energy, i.e. (super)hydrophobic or hydrophilic, which show extreme water repellence or attraction, respectively. This fine-tuning of the surface characteristics enables preparing self-cleaning, anti-(bio)fouling or highly lubricious coatings. Furthermore, She will discuss how to incorporate self-healing strategies on the design of polymer networks, so that the surface functionalities can be spontaneously recovered upon damage, towards coatings with a high-performance level through an extended lifetime.[5] Finally, Prof. Esteves will briefly show how the smart design of the functional groups of polymer/colloidal particles can determine the morphology of nanocomposite polymer coatings, and ultimately affect its relationship with water.