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Bio-inspired superhydrophilic coatings with high anti-adhesion against mineral scales

  • Tianzhan Zhang
  • , Yuefeng Wang
  • , Feilong Zhang
  • , Xiaodong Chen
  • , Guoqing Hu
  • , Jingxin Meng
  • , Shutao Wang*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The unexpected adhesion of certain inorganic minerals on solid surfaces is constantly a source of severe problems in daily life and industrial production, including scales in water pipes. Inspired by the nanostructured inner surface of normal renal tubules, we design a superhydrophilic nanohair coating composed of a poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hydrogel, which shows high anti-adhesion against mineral scales under flow conditions. Even at a high temperature of 80° C, the nanohair hydrogel coatings still show excellent anti-scaling performance compared to a flat hydrogel coating and a commercial water pipe with a polyvinylchloride (PVC) surface. The anti-scaling experiments and theory simulation reveal the crucial role of superhydrophilicity and fluid-assisted motion of the nanohairs in the anti-adhesion property. This study may provide promising insight into the design of high anti-adhesion coatings for resisting mineral scale attachment in water management systems.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere471
JournalNPG Asia Materials
Volume10
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 9 Mar 2018
Externally publishedYes

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