New poly(ether-phosphoramide)s sulfides based on green resources as sensitive films for the specific impedimetric detection of nickel ions.

For the development of selective and sensitive chemical sensors, we have developed a new family of poly(ether-phosphoramide) polymers. These polymers were obtained with satisfactory yields by nucleophilic aromatic polycondensation using isosorbide as green resources, and bisphenol A with two novel difluoro phosphinothioic amide monomers. Unprecedented, the thiophosphorylated aminoheterocycles monomers, functionalized with two heterocyclic amine, N-methylpiperazine and morpholine were successfully obtained by nucleophilic substitution reaction of P(S)-Cl compound. The resulting polymers were characterized by different analytical techniques (NMR, MALDI-ToF MS, GPC, DSC, and ATG). The resulting partially green polymers, having tertiary phosphine sulfide with P-N side chain functionalities along the main chain of polymers are the sensitive film at the surface of a gold electrode for the impedimetric detection of Cd, Ni, Pb and Hg. The bio-based poly(ether-phosphoramide) functionalized with N-methylpiperazine modified sensor showed better analytical performance than petrochemical based polymers for the detection of Ni2+. A detection limit of 50 pM was obtained which is very low compared to the previously published electrochemical sensors for nickel detection.

Icephobic Coating through a Self-Formed Superhydrophobic Surface Using a Polymer and Microsized Particles.

Icephobic coatings have been extensively studied for decades to overcome the potential damage associated with ice formation in various devices that are operated under harsh weather conditions. Superhydrophobic surface coatings have been applied for icephobic coating applications owing to their low surface energy. In this study, an icephobic coating of a self-formed superhydrophobic surface using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and SiO2 powder was investigated. The effect of superhydrophobicity on icephobicity was determined by varying the experimental parameters. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was added to the PDMS solution to improve the mechanical properties of the icephobic layer. The PDMS-PVDF solution also showed a self-formation behavior into a superhydrophobic surface. In addition, the icephobicity and mechanical properties of the PDMS-PVDF mixture coating improved because of the multilevel nanostructure formed by physical and chemical interactions between the mixture and SiO2 powder. We believe that the proposed approach will be a suitable candidate for various practical applications of icephobicity and a model system to understand the correlation between superhydrophobicity and icephobicity.

Self-Formation of Superhydrophobic Surfaces through Interfacial Energy Engineering between Liquids and Particles.

The superhydrophobic surface has been used in ultradry surface applications, such as the maritime industry, windshields, non-sticky surfaces, anti-icing surfaces, self-cleaning surfaces, and so forth. However, one of the main hurdles for the production of superhydrophobic surfaces is high-cost fabrication methods. Here, we report a handy process of self-synthesis fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces with daily supplies. Driven by the physics of biscuit dunking, we introduce a method to self-synthesize superhydrophobic surfaces from daily supplies by coating a substrate with a liquid (liquids of paraffin from candles or polydimethylsiloxane) and subsequently sprinkling powders (food-desiccant silica, alumina, sugar, salt, or flour). A mechanistic study revealed that the capillary force, governed by surface energy difference, liquid viscosity, and powder pore size, draws the liquid solution into the porous channels within the powders. The entire surface of powders, in turn, is covered with the low-surface-energy liquid to maintain the porosity, creating a 3D porous nanostructure, resulting in a water contact angle over 160°. This work provides a scientific understanding that technological developments are closely related to the science that can be seen in our daily lives. Also, we believe that further intensive studies extended from this work could enable to home-fabricate a superhydrophobic surface, such as a bathtub and sink in bathrooms and a cooking area and sink in kitchens.