Surface Science: Polymer Thin Films, Coatings and Adhesives

Dear Colleagues,

Adhesives, paints, coatings, composites, biomaterials, sensors, and nano/micro technologies are just a few of the many applications where the characteristics of polymer surfaces and interfaces are crucial. In most cases, the molecular structures of polymers control their surface and interfacial properties, but many methods allow polymer surface modification to tune their properties at interfaces. The nature, characteristics, and way to modify and characterise a polymer surface, the molecular basis of adhesion and friction, and the structure of interfaces in polymer blends between polymers and non-polymers, as well as the characteristics of polymers at solid and liquid interfaces, are among the subjects addressed. In this Special Issue, we wish to cover the most recent advances in all the strategies and techniques that allow the modification, control, tuning, and characterisation of polymer surfaces and their properties at interfaces by hosting original research articles and short critical reviews.

Prof. Dr. Maurice Brogly
Guest Editor

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• polymers and biopolymers surfaces
• polymers and biopolymers at interfaces
• surface treatments and modifications
• adhesion and adhesives
• coatings and thin films
• composites
• polymer blends
• friction and wear
• lubrication
• surface and interface analysis
• surface spectroscopies and microscopies

Title: Multiscale characterisation of the heterogeneous properties of thin polymer film sheet.
Authors: M. Brown et al.
Abstract: Thin film polymer sheets are used in a diverse array of applications, including packaging, automotive, and electronics. What may appear to be a homogeneous sheet may have spatially varying properties due to the manufacturing process, so characterisation of the properties is essential for understanding their performance, durability, and suitability for safety critical applications such as medical devices. Detailed characterisation helps to identify potential weaknesses, optimise processing conditions, and enhance the material's robustness, improving product quality and reliability. However, this can often be time consuming and expensive. In this paper, tensile testing and nanoindentation are used to quantify the global and local mechanical response of polyurethane sheet mechanically, and a non-destructive digital image correlation technique is introduced that can be used as a basis for rapid quantification of spatial material property variations in thin polymer films.
Keywords: nanoindentation, digital image correlation, heterogeneity, polymer sheet, material properties, characterisation

Title: Effect of the surface on the shear behavior of blood
Authors: U. Windberger, Ch. Janeczek and P. Ecker
Abstract: Fresh blood contains living cells with different extrinsic (size, shape) and intrinsic (deformability, aggregability) properties, which influence the bulk blood flow. The proteins and small molecules in plasma generate a very diverse embedment for the blood cells by their sizes (from the Angstrom scale (enzymes, factors, hormones) to several tens of nanometers (lipoproteins, ferritin) and by their functions (adhesion, signaling, mechanical coupling). It is evident that such a material has the ability for structuring, adhesive layer formation and phase separation in flow, and cannot be handled as a simple liquid.
The fate of such complex physiological liquids in the vicinity of an interface plays a crucial role in multiple situations. Hydrophilic surfaces promote adhesion and growth, whereas hydrophobic surfaces are considered for mobile prostheses (e.g. cardiac valves). Also, the surface morphology of the material in contact plays an important role for the wetting ability with liquids. The shear modulus of whole blood varies substantially if the substrate is changed from classical steel to hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxan-coated plates. The gap dependency and the timely evolution of shear elasticity shows that the liquid is no more homogenous.
This work shows examples how substrates (rheometer plates of (1) tinplate, (2) polydimethylsiloxan-coating (Silicon Med-6015; NuSil, USA) of tinplate, (3) fixation of a 3D-printed disc (Biomed Amber; Formlabs, USA) on tinplate, and (4) steel, being the classical substrate in rheology) modify the blood and plasma behavior under shear, and raises the question, which substrate is the best one for the testing of physiological fluids.