Functional Coatings

This book outlines recent developments in the field of functional coatings, with the focus on organic-based materials. The first part describes so-called toolbox methods which are currently available to developers. These cover a large number of methods, ranging from the manufacture of specific topographies on the microscale and nanoscale to the use of microcapsules and nanoparticles, and customised surface immobilisation of molecules. The functionalities themselves are at the fore in the second part of this book. These can, for example, be structure-based (e.g. drag-reducing) or chemical-based (e.g. self-healing) and can be produced via very different routes (e.g. anti-fouling, anti-icing). It is important to stress that most of the examples described here are not yet ready for widespread industrial implementation. Indeed, the functionalities that are described are at different stages of development. Some merely represent promising first laboratory results (e.g. surface binding of anti-freeze proteins), others are at the production concept stage (e.g. paint structuring for drag-reducing surfaces), and some are already in use (e.g. selfhealing car lacquer systems). The book gives an indication of the stage of current developments in the area of organic-based coatings and what future technical applications can be expected.