Seeking Technology To Prevent Adhesion Of Acrylic Polymer Suspension On Epoxy Surface

A SpecialChem Client is seeking a technology that can prevent the adhesion of highly cohesive water-based acrylic polymer suspension onto a cross-linked epoxy resin (SU-8) surface.

Alternatively, the seeker is also interested in a technology that facilitates the subsequent easy removal of the adhered suspension from the SU-8 surface.

The SpecialChem Client is a large industrial manufacturer currently working with a specific film-forming acrylic polymer suspension that has the characteristic of easily adhering to most surfaces it comes into contact with. Due to this feature, during the application of this suspension, it can sometimes adhere to a sensitive piece of equipment that is manufactured from SU-8 which, over time, causes a decrease in the overall efficiency of the system.

In order to solve this issue, the SpecialChem client regularly cleans the system (by using friction, i.e. rubbing) and adds a layer of polyethylene glycol to lubricate the appropriate SU-8 surface and therefore slightly reducing the amount of solution that adheres to it. In order to successfully prevent accumulation, this cleaning stage has to be done frequently, which itself reduces the efficiency of the system.

Technologies that can prevent this build up or allow for its easy removal is of great interest too.

The successful technology must demonstrate the following properties:

• Be environmentally friendly, non-toxic
• Safe for contact with humans
• Resistant to an environment of up to 90°C
• Withstand friction of repeated cleaning with a cloth

The selected solution will be adopted as a standard into new models of equipment, 10’s of 1000’s new equipment annually. Volumes depend a lot on the nature of the solution. For a surface treatment preventing the build-up, solution will have to cover up to 100,000 mm² per unit. For a cleaning fluid this will be more than 10,000 m² during the lifetime of the equipment.

Possible approaches might include, but are not limited to:

• Super-hydrophobic, non-stick, easy release, anti-fouling, anti-graffiti type coatings
• Technologies that allow such “non-stick” coatings to “stick” to the oxidized SU-8 substrate more durably or to be easily replenished
• Solutions that would allow for easier mechanical or alternative cleaning of the build-up
• Innovative stable lubricants that could replace the polyethylene glycol

The SpecialChem Client is not interested in material or processes that:

• Require changing the equipment material (SU-8)
• Require altering the acrylic polymer solution formulation
• Be overly complex to incorporate in their current system

The SpecialChem Client is looking for a solution or concept as soon as possible.

Any solutions presented should have some proof of concept and/or relevant expertise to support.

The SpecialChem client has previously experimented with PTFE-like coatings in order to prevent the specific suspension from sticking to the oxidized surface of the SU-8 substrate. The application of such coatings has been initially successful; however, they have proven to be very sensitive to heat and friction, rendering them ultimately unsuitable as a long term resolution of this problem.