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Biomimetic Micro‐ P atterning of Epoxy Coatings for Enhanced Surface Hydrophobicity and Low Friction
Author(s) -
McDonald Brendan,
Shahsavan Hamed,
Zhao Boxin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201300112
Subject(s) - epoxy , materials science , adhesion , rigidity (electromagnetism) , composite material , polymer , nanotechnology , flexibility (engineering) , surface modification , chemical engineering , engineering , statistics , mathematics
Biomimetic micro‐structures are fabricated with a two‐stage pattern transfer process on conventional epoxy coatings. The pattern transfer process uses a soft‐polymer negative stamp, where the flexibility of the stamp allows for easy conformation to both flat and curved surfaces. The hydrophobicity and friction behavior of the micro‐patterned epoxy coatings are systematically investigated, showing that surface patterning can be used as an effective way to improve hydrophobicity while reducing the surface adhesion and friction without a loss of the structural integrity or rigidity typical of epoxy coatings. This work demonstrates a feasible process for the utilization of biomimetic micro‐patterns within large‐scale industrial applications to improve the performance of conventional epoxy coatings.