TAGS: Smart Coatings
Researchers have found a new way to improve paints and coatings, by adding Janus particles (“two-faced” nanoparticles). With one face that attracts water and another that repels it, the particles arranged themselves into a flat layer on a painted surface and could make for paint with unusual properties.
Janus particles are engineered to have two surfaces each with distinct physical properties. One combination for a Janus particle is to have one side hydrophilic (attracted to water) and the other hydrophobic (water repellant).
Janus Particles to Improve Paints, Coatings
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Previous studies are heavily focused on structures formed by these particles at a very small scale, because they have unique surface properties,” Xin Yong — an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science. “In this study, we are trying to use these particles to improve the performance of paints and coating, which no one has ever thought about.”
Manufacturers of electronics, furniture and numerous other products face the same options for the products they make, and they must choose what makes sense for each individual item being made.
For the paper “Self-stratification of amphiphilic particles at coating surfaces,” the research team mixed hydrophilic/hydrophobic Janus particles with commercial paints, then painted surfaces to see how the particles would react.
The result: The hydrophilic side oriented to the surface and helped the coatings adhere better, while the hydrophobic side faced toward the surface and made it water-repellant. The researchers also found that the particles diffused and arranged themselves into self-stratifying layers more quickly and in ways that did not completely follow their hypotheses.
Design Next-generation ‘Smart’ Coating Materials
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Currently no theory can be used to explain the self-stratification behaviors of Janus particles,” Jiang said, an assistant professor in the university’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “
However, more studies are warranted to probe the detailed mechanism [of the particles]. I hope by fully understanding the principles in Janus particle self-stratification, we will be able to design next-generation ‘smart’ coating materials that are more environmentally friendly with better properties.”
The team believes that Janus particles can prove to be beneficial in many other applications, including cosmetics, 3D printing and drug formulations.
Other contributors to the research include Binghamton University graduate student Shensheng Chen; Iowa State postdoctoral researcher Fei Liu; Iowa State graduate students Yifan Li, Ayuna Tsyrenova, Kyle Miller, Emily Olson and Rebecca Mort; and Iowa State undergraduate student Devin Palm.
Source: Binghamton University