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Electric field and ion diffusion triggered precisely regulated construction of micron-scale water-based polymer films: a detailed mechanistic exploration

 #br#  #br# Water-based polymer films can be readily deposited onto a wide range of metallic materials as an environmentally friendly coating through the demulsification-induced fast solidification (DIFS) method. However, there is still a lack of in-depth understanding of the demulsification process of the water-based emulsions and their deposition processes. Herein, we demonstrate that the build-up process of the commercial water-based micron-scale waterborne polyurethane, polyvinyl acetate, polyurethane acrylate, and natural rubber polymer films is affected by the collective effect of electric field and ion diffusion exerted by an-ode-cathode electrode pairs, applied voltage, conduction time, elec-trode distance, and emulsion species. A structural investigation of as-prepared polymer films allows us to propose two new structure build-up models. During a flat film deposition, isolated islands form first and grow on the substrate surface, and eventually, their mutual coalescence forms the final layer. Whereas, for a convex layer formation, the layer first forms in the middle of the substrate and then grows to-ward the sides of the convex structure of the substrate. The results presented in this work expand the understanding of the mechanism of the DIFS process and may provide some new insights into struc-ture-oriented multifunctional material design. #br#

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  1. 1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, 130022, People’s Republic of China
    2. School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, 130022, People’s Republic of China;
    3. Jilin Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Center of Optical Materials and Chemistry, Changchun, 130022, People’s Republic of China

  • Received:2021-12-23 Revised:2022-01-20 Accepted:2022-01-23 Published:2022-02-17
  • Contact: ZHANG Jianfu zhangjianfu@cust.edu.cn  SU Zhongmin zmsu@nenu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    the Science and Technology Development Planning Project of Jilin Province (20200401037GX) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21504008).

Abstract:  
 
Water-based polymer films can be readily deposited onto a wide range of metallic materials as an environmentally friendly coating through the demulsification-induced fast solidification (DIFS) method. However, there is still a lack of in-depth understanding of the demulsification process of the water-based emulsions and their deposition processes. Herein, we demonstrate that the build-up process of the commercial water-based micron-scale waterborne polyurethane, polyvinyl acetate, polyurethane acrylate, and natural rubber polymer films is affected by the collective effect of electric field and ion diffusion exerted by an-ode-cathode electrode pairs, applied voltage, conduction time, elec-trode distance, and emulsion species. A structural investigation of as-prepared polymer films allows us to propose two new structure build-up models. During a flat film deposition, isolated islands form first and grow on the substrate surface, and eventually, their mutual coalescence forms the final layer. Whereas, for a convex layer formation, the layer first forms in the middle of the substrate and then grows to-ward the sides of the convex structure of the substrate. The results presented in this work expand the understanding of the mechanism of the DIFS process and may provide some new insights into struc-ture-oriented multifunctional material design. 


Key words: Polymer films, Emulsion, Demulsification-induced fast solidification, Mechanism