The coating
polymer is versatile – like a Swiss army knife. (Photo: Colourbox.de)
(February 16, 2016) Scientists
at ETH Zurich and an ETH spin-off have developed a novel polymer for coating
materials, in order to prevent biofilms from forming on their surfaces. Thanks
to the technological platform developed, it is now possible to coat durably a
variety of different materials using the same polymeric molecule. Such coatings
are of relevance for medical applications, among others.
Internal and external qualities are two different things –
the same holds true in materials science. For example, in many cases a specific
material would, in principle, be ideal for a technical application were it not
for the fact that its surface is unsuitable.
Materials scientists solve this problem by coating the
material. Coatings can be used to make a surface lubricious, for example, or –
in underwater applications or the biomedical sector – to prevent algae,
proteins or bacteria from fouling the surface over time. For example,
hydrophilic polymers are often used to protect metals from fouling; water
molecules accumulate on this polymer layer, which protects the metal against
the adhesion of unwanted molecules or organisms. However, many coatings
currently in use are not very resistant to environmental factors, since they
are often connected to the material by only a weak electrostatic bond. Other
existing, more resistant coatings are expensive to use and sometimes require
toxic solvents.