Reactive Coatings in Glass Capillaries: Preparation of Temperature‐ and Light‐Responsive Surfaces and Accurate Determination of Wettability Switching

Abstract

The inner walls of thin glass capillaries are coated with a reactive precursor coating that can be converted into different temperature‐ and light‐responsive coatings. The switching range of wettability can be determined by measuring the meniscus height of water inside these capillaries at different temperatures and upon UV‐light irradiation. In comparison with the sessile drop measurement, very accurate equilibrium contact angles are obtained by this method.

White paper on the future of plasma science for optics and glass

“…Practical technological challenges and barriers seem to be partly determined by a lack of data on the non‐linear properties of glasses, the temperature limitations of glass composites, a lack of understanding of the surface structure, surface chemistry and surface interactions with other materials at the molecular level, limited processes for online coatings, and a lack of substitutes for toxic glass components . Consequently, research and development activities will aim to improve or develop key enabling technologies and products, such as: Cost‐effective optically non‐linear glasses and graded index glasses; Improved processes for glass substrates used in thin film applications; Non‐oxide glasses with advanced compositions; Glasses with ultraviolet and infrared transparent characteristics; Alkali‐resistant systems for concrete reinforcement; Processes and compositions for smart window products; Improved processing methods for solar lenses, mirrors, and photovoltaic cells; Systems for controlled release of fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and pest control, or for the encapsulation of various types of hazardous waste in glass; Economical processes for the high‐speed coating of glass; Compositions with reactive surfaces for bio‐applications and sensor applications; Compositions with passive surfaces that can be used to maintain the strength of glass; Increased understanding of glass‐surface interactions through experimental and theoretical surface research …”

A Facile Strategy for the Development of Recyclable Multifunctional Liquid Crystal Polymers via Post‐Polymerization Modification and Ring‐Opening Metathesis Polymerization

“…[7] This strategy is based on polymer precursors bearing reactive groups, which are transformed into other functional groups in subsequent steps, offering broader opportunities to diversify polymers. Up to date, many functional materials such as amphiphilic nanogels, [8] smart surfaces, [9] and multi-responsive nanofibers [10] have been fabricated utilizing this strategy. However, the ascendency of PPM in LCPs has not been fully exploited and most researches are focused on monofunctional LCPs.…”

Fluorinated Metal–Organic Coatings with Selective Wettability

“…Lower surface tension liquids (e.g., oil) will wet better than higher surface tension liquids (e.g., water) for most surfaces. − This phenomenon largely explains the challenge in creating surfaces with both water affinity and oil repellence properties . Nevertheless, achieving simultaneous controlled surface affinity − and repellence to various liquids is important for engineering advanced materials and holds promise and broad interest for a wide range of wetting-related applications such as self-cleaning, chemical sensing, and membrane separations. − Externally induced wetting, through, e.g., shear and strain − or by combining surface active additives (e.g., chromophores), − can initiate responsive wettability. − However, externally induced wetting strategies do not lead to selective wetting without the application of external stimuli/energy or super-repellence to conventional wetting oils, in air or under water (e.g., droplet bouncing). Therefore, to date, a mechanistic understanding of selective wetting is largely unexplored.…”