Smart coatings in the pipeline

Cover artwork from Polymer Chemistry (March 2022)
Credit: Flinders University

Made from cheap chemicals, this polymer packs a punch.

An imaginative approach to polymer surface coating has produced a sustainable way to remove mercury from water – while providing a wide range of protection including for preventing metal corrosion and solvent damage of plastic PVC pipes.

The smart coating, made from low-cost chemicals from oil refining and other sources, also can prevent acid and water damage of concrete surfaces and be repaired in situ by a simple heating process, says Flinders University project leader Max Mann.

“Made easily from elemental sulfur and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD is a by-product of petroleum refining), this new coating is multi-functional which gives us wide scope to use it in a wide range of useful ways and for longer lasting industrial products and components,” says Flinders University PhD candidate Mr Mann, lead author of the cover article in this month’s issue of Polymer Chemistry.

“This exciting new area of research extends fundamental chemistry to several practical applications.”

“The method for making the coating is safer than methods previously used for related coatings. The team developed a lower temperature process that prevented runaway reactions,” adds co-author University of Liverpool researcher Dr Bowen Zhang.

Along with its protective powers against corrosion, solvent damage and acid and water damage,  the research found the active coating can capture toxic metals such as mercury.

The coating is repairable and scratches and damage can be prepared by the simple application of heat, the Flinders-Liverpool team found.

This process is possible because of the coating’s chemical structure which allows sulfur-sulfur bonds to be broken and re-formed.

Flinders University chemistry Professor Justin Chalker says the research is a significant step forward in multi-functional coatings.

“The unique chemical composition of the smart coating enables protection of substrates, active removal of toxic mercury species from water and oil, and is repairable which ensures its sustainability,” says Matthew Flinders Professor Chalker, from the Institute of Nanoscale Science and Technology at Flinders University.

“The coating is solvent resistant and can also remove mercury from oil and water mixtures, which is of importance to remediation in the petroleum and gas industry.”

Mr Mann conducted part of this study in the UK on an exchange at Dr Tom Hasell’s University of Liverpool lab as part of ongoing collaboration between the Chalker Lab and Hasell Lab in Liverpool.

The article, Processes for coating surfaces with a copolymer made from sulfur and dicyclopentadiene (2022) by Maximilian Mann, Bowen Zhang, Samuel J Tonkin, Christopher T Gibson, Zhongfan Jia, Tom Hasell and Justin M Chalker is the cover story in Polymer Chemistry (Royal Society of Chemistry) DOI: 10.1039/D1PY01416A More information: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/y2u25be2p1mayq0i3rcq2/h?dl=0&rlkey=4c76fxw8j8z1aco18mz7le2h4

Acknowledgements: The project was funded by the Australian Research Council (DP200100090)

Journal: Polymer Chemistry
DOI: 10.1039/D1PY01416A
Method of Research: Experimental study
Subject of Research: Not applicable
Article Title: Processes for coating surfaces with a copolymer made from sulfur and dicyclopentadiene
Article Publication Date: 8-Mar-2022
COI Statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Media Contact

Karen Ashford
Flinders University
karen.ashford@flinders.edu.au
Office: 61-882-012-092

Expert Contact

Professor Justin Chalker
Flinders University
justin.chalker@flinders.edu.au
Office: +61 8 8201 2268
Cell: +61 0416 405 951

www.flinders.edu.au

Media Contact

Karen Ashford
Flinders University

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Innovative vortex beam technology

…unleashes ultra-secure, high-capacity data transmission. Scientists have developed a breakthrough optical technology that could dramatically enhance the capacity and security of data transmission (Fig. 1). By utilizing a new type…

Tiny dancers: Scientists synchronise bacterial motion

Researchers at TU Delft have discovered that E. coli bacteria can synchronise their movements, creating order in seemingly random biological systems. By trapping individual bacteria in micro-engineered circular cavities and…

Primary investigation on ram-rotor detonation engine

Detonation is a supersonic combustion wave, characterized by a shock wave driven by the energy release from closely coupled chemical reactions. It is a typical form of pressure gain combustion,…