Thin Plasma-Polymerized Coatings as a Primer with Polyurethane Topcoat for Improved Corrosion Resistance.

Use of a plasma-polymerized (pp) layer under a polyurethane (PU) coating on aluminum dramatically improves the corrosion resistance. Compared to conventional polymer coatings, pp coatings are highly cross-linked, have better adhesion to substrates, and result in lower emission of volatile organic contents. Although past research has focused on the properties of comparatively thick pp films and on the use of pp films alone to protect metals, we consider here very thin pp coatings as a primer layer to improve corrosion resistance.

Functional Nano-Coating Materials by Michael Addition and Ring-opening Polymerization: Reactivity, Molecular Architecture and Refractive index.

Understanding the molecular interaction and morphology of organic-inorganic hybrid materials is an important and fundamental assignment to develop novel high-performance materials. In this work, we developed two types of hybrid coating materials by using different silane coupling agents via Michael addition reaction and ring-opening polymerization. The changes in molecular interaction and morphology of the hybrid coatings due to chemical composition and curing temperature were studied by electron microscopy, spectroscopy and solid state Si nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.

Self-Actuation of Liquid Metal via Redox Reaction.

Presented here is a method for actuating a gallium-based liquid-metal alloy without the need for an external power supply. Liquid metal is used as an anode to drive a complementary oxygen reduction reaction, resulting in the spontaneous growth of hydrophilic gallium oxide on the liquid-metal surface, which induces flow of the liquid metal into a channel. The extent and duration of the actuation are controllable throughout the process, and the induced flow is both reversible and repeatable.