APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:

• Self-cleaning surfaces or coatings
• Corrosion and contamination-resistant coatings
• Plates for sample preconcentration
• Surfaces for in-droplet protein crystallization
• Patternwise fabrication of microfluidic channels and arrays

ADVANTAGES:

• Inexpensive, single-step process
• Applicable to practically any substrate of nearly any size
• Not limited to flat surfaces
• Superhydrophobic coating can be made transparent
• Coating properties can be adjusted to achieve a range of superhydrophobic or superhydrophilic properties

ABSTRACT:

Current techniques to prepare superhydrophobic surfaces involve either multi-step procedures and harsh conditions or specialized reagents and equipment. Most of the methods are expensive and only applicable to small, flat surfaces or specific materials.

Pavel Levkin of UC Berkeley and Frantisek Svec and Jean Fréchet of Berkeley Lab have invented a simple and inexpensive approach to preparing superhydrophobic polymer coatings possessing extreme repellency towards water; acids; bases; salts and their aqueous solutions; biological fluids such as blood, plasma, and urine; and liquid foods including milk, coffee, tea, and honey. The superhydrophobic coating can be applied to a wide variety of substrates and is not limited to small areas or flat surfaces.

Once a superhydrophobic surface is created, a superhydrophilic area or channel within the original superhydrophobic surface can be created. A surface or coating with a range of superhydrophobic or superhydrophilic properties can also be achieved.

The Berkeley Lab technology involves the in-situ polymerization of common monomers in the presence of a porogenic solvent to afford superhydrophobic surfaces with the desired combination of micro- and nano-scale roughness. This material can be easily prepared by polymerization on the surface. The polymerized product can also be ground to obtain a superhydrophobic powder, which, once glued to a surface, renders the surface superhydrophobic.

STATUS:

• US published patent application 20110033663. Published PCT applications WO2009137267 and 2283067 available at www.wipo.int. Available for licensing or collaborative research.

To learn more about licensing a technology from LBNL see http://www.lbl.gov/Tech-Transfer/licensing/index.html.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

REFERENCE NUMBER: JIB-2519

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