Ice build-up on solid surfaces causes significant economic losses for a range of industries. One solution to this problem is the development of coatings with low ice adhesion strength. Amphiphilic poly(ionic liquid) (PIL)-based surfaces have been recently reported for antifogging/antifrosting applications. However, they have possible anti-icing properties through lowering the ice adhesion strength that have yet to be reported. Herein, we designed well-defined triblock copolymers composed of a polydimethylsiloxane component coupled with PIL segments of poly ([2 (methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride) (PMETAC), which were subsequently UV-cured with an oligo-(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (OEGDMA) cross-linker. The structure−property relationships of the resultant semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (SIPNs) were investigated by varying the counterion (i.e., trimethylammonium bis-(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI − )) and the content of the PIL segments and cross-linker. An ice adhesion strength as low as 13.3 ± 8.6 kPa was observed for the coating containing 12.5 wt % of PMETAC segment and 5 wt % of OEGDMA, which is one of the lowest values reported so far for the amphiphilic coatings. Characterization of the coatings in terms of surface features, wettability, and hydration states have enabled the elucidation of different deicing mechanisms. Self-lubrication due to the existence of nonfreezable bound water led to the obtained low ice adhesion strength. This work offers a new approach for the exploration of PILbased icephobic coatings for practical applications.
Machines can revolutionize the field of chemistry and material science, driving the development of new chemistries, increasing productivity, and facilitating reaction scale up. The incorporation of automated systems in the field of polymer chemistry has however proven challenging owing to the demanding reaction conditions, rendering the automation setup complex and costly. There is an imminent need for an automation platform which uses fast and simple polymerization protocols, while providing a high level of control on the structure of macromolecules via precision synthesis. This work combines an oxygen tolerant, room temperature polymerization method with a simple liquid handling robot to automatically prepare precise and high order multiblock copolymers with unprecedented livingness even after many chain extensions. The highest number of blocks synthesized in such a system is reported, demonstrating the capabilities of this automated platform for the rapid synthesis and complex polymer structure formation.
Automated synthesis of multiblock copolymers: A robotic polymer synthesis platform conducts polymerization to produce multiblock copolymers with block sequence definition. The synthesis protocol for these complex structures is given to the automation platform via a computer interface, where the protocol created by humans is translated into computer codes for the automation system to recognise. This platform enables access to complex multiblock structures not generally accessible through manual synthesis techniques. More information can be found in the Research Article by G. G. Qiao and co‐workers (DOI: 10.1002/chem.202301767).
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