Surface Modification
The process involves coating the required surface [base material] - whether in sheet, fabric, fibre or other macro-molecular forms - with a wet treatment of the Onto® species followed by curing with heat, UV or other suitable energy source. This generates a molecular layer bonded permanently to the base material.
The modification of the surface can be carried out to micron precision allowing the preparation of highly patterned materials. The Onto® process can also be applied to deliver two or more sets of functionalities to a surface. This can be achieved either homogenously or with patterning to create a material with channels or discrete areas of functionality.
More than one different Onto® species can be blended and cured at the same time. Other different commercially available materials can also be blended with the Onto® species. These mixtures allow coatings with multiple different effects to be prepared.
Materials
Due to the versatile nature of the Onto® coating process the technology is applicable to a wide arrange of material forms such as film, sheet, fibre (woven and non-woven), pellet and powder.
It is also applicable to a wide range of substrates including:
- Synthetic polymers such as polyolefins, polyacrylates, polyesters, polyamides, polyimides, polycarbonates, polyaramids, polystyryls, polysulfones, fluoropolymers and rubbers
- Natural polymers such as cotton and wool
- Inorganic Surfaces such as glasses, alumina, silicon, diamond, graphite and carbon fibre
- Metal surfaces such as steel, aluminum and copper
