Self-healing fluoropolymer brushes as highly polymer-repellent coatings

Abstract

The fouling of surfaces by organic polymers can be strongly reduced by applying a 75 nm covalently bound fluorinated polymer brush onto the surface. This strong reduction can be repaired, even more than 10 times, after the polymer brush has been damaged (e.g. by a strong base) using the self-repairing character of these brushes via molecular reorganization at the surface–air interface at slightly elevated temperatures.