December 15, 2000

2 min read

Google Logo Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm

Topping Teflon

By Kate Wong

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Making flexible coatings with increased water-resistance and durability is a snap--literally, according to a report published today in the journal Science. Chemically attaching coating molecules to a polymer material that has been stretched, and then letting that material snap back into shape creates a nearly impenetrable layer that could eventually be used to coat everything from frying pans to airplanes.

Jan Genzer and Kirill Efimenko of North Carolina State University embedded fluorinated molecules, which are commonly found in the polymer surfaces of non-stick pans and water-repellant fabrics, into a silicone rubber-like polymer known as polydimethyl siloxane. The result was a so-called mechanically assembled monolayer (MAM). In subsequent tests of the material's impermeability and durability, the researchers submerged strips of MAM and strips of traditional coatings in water and then stored them under normal lab conditions. "To our surprise, the surfaces of MAMs stayed virtually unchanged, even after six months in a dusty, humid atmosphere. The MAMs' chemical properties, such as orientation and molecular density, remained the same, and there was very little physical deterioration," Genzer notes. The standard coating, on the other hand, began to deteriorate after sitting in the water for a relatively short period of time. "Their molecules become disorganized. In some cases, we have observed that surface properties are degraded after barely more than a day," he added.

The team plans to follow up on these promising initial results by experimenting with hydrocarbons as the embedded molecules, and exploring the MAM coating's performance in acid and other extreme environments. "By manipulating materials at the nanoscale, we can vastly improve on what Mother Nature offers, Genzer remarks, "for the benefit of both manufacturers and consumers."

Kate Wong is an award-winning science writer and senior editor for features at Scientific American, where she has focused on evolution, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, paleontology and animal behavior. She is fascinated by human origins, which she has covered for nearly 30 years. Recently she has become obsessed with birds. Her reporting has taken her to caves in France and Croatia that Neandertals once called home to the shores of Kenya’s Lake Turkana in search of the oldest stone tools in the world, as well as to Madagascar on an expedition to unearth ancient mammals and dinosaurs, the icy waters of Antarctica, where humpback whales feast on krill, and a “Big Day” race around the state of Connecticut to find as many bird species as possible in 24 hours. Wong is co-author, with Donald Johanson, of Lucy’s Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins. She holds a bachelor of science degree in biological anthropology and zoology from the University of Michigan. Follow her on Bluesky @katewong.bsky.social

More by Kate Wong

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe