Self-Cleaning Photocatalytic Polyurethane Coatings Containing Modified C60 Fullerene Additives
Chemistry Division, Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20375, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Coatings 2014, 4(3), 614-629; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings4030614
Received: 30 May 2014 / Revised: 8 July 2014 / Accepted: 25 July 2014 / Published: 13 August 2014
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photocalytic Coatings for Air-Purifying, Self-Cleaning and Antimicrobial Properties)
Surfaces are often coated with paint for improved aesthetics and protection; however, additional functionalities that impart continuous self-decontaminating and self-cleaning properties would be extremely advantageous. In this report, photochemical additives based on C60 fullerene were incorporated into polyurethane coatings to investigate their coating compatibility and ability to impart chemical decontaminating capability to the coating surface. C60 exhibits unique photophysical properties, including the capability to generate singlet oxygen upon exposure to visible light; however, C60 fullerene exhibits poor solubility in solvents commonly employed in coating applications. A modified C60 containing a hydrophilic moiety was synthesized to improve polyurethane compatibility and facilitate segregation to the polymer–air interface. Bulk properties of the polyurethane films were analyzed to investigate additive–coating compatibility. Coatings containing photoactive additives were subjected to self-decontamination challenges against representative chemical contaminants and the effects of additive loading concentration, light exposure, and time on chemical decontamination are reported. Covalent attachment of an ethylene glycol tail to C60 improved its solubility and dispersion in a hydrophobic polyurethane matrix. Decomposition products resulting from oxidation were observed in addition to a direct correlation between additive loading concentration and decomposition of surface-residing contaminants. The degradation pathways deduced from contaminant challenge byproduct analyses are detailed.
View Full-Text
Keywords:
self-decontamination; fullerene; simulant; CWA; self-cleaning
▼
Show Figures
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License
MDPI and ACS Style
Lundin, J.G.; Giles, S.L.; Cozzens, R.F.; Wynne, J.H. Self-Cleaning Photocatalytic Polyurethane Coatings Containing Modified C60 Fullerene Additives. Coatings 2014, 4, 614-629. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings4030614
AMA Style
Lundin JG, Giles SL, Cozzens RF, Wynne JH. Self-Cleaning Photocatalytic Polyurethane Coatings Containing Modified C60 Fullerene Additives. Coatings. 2014; 4(3):614-629. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings4030614
Chicago/Turabian StyleLundin, Jeffrey G.; Giles, Spencer L.; Cozzens, Robert F.; Wynne, James H. 2014. "Self-Cleaning Photocatalytic Polyurethane Coatings Containing Modified C60 Fullerene Additives" Coatings 4, no. 3: 614-629. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings4030614
Find Other Styles
Search more from Scilit