Thin polymer films (TPFs) are indispensable elements in numerous technologies ranging from liquid encapsulation to biotechnology to electronics. However, their production typically relies on wet chemistry involving organic solvents or chemical vapor deposition, necessitating elaborate equipment and often harsh conditions.
Our most recent paper presents the eco-friendly, fast, and facile synthesis of water-templated interfacial polymers based on cyanoacrylates (superglues) that yield thin films with tailored properties. By exposing a cationic surfactant-laden water surface to cyanoacrylate vapors, surfactant-modulated anionic polymerization produces a manipulable thin polymer film with a thickness growth rate of 8 nm/min. Furthermore, the shape and color of the film are precisely controlled by the polymerization kinetics, wetting conditions, and/or exposure to patterned light. Using various interfaces as templates for film growth, including the free surface of drops and soap bubbles, the developed method enables in situ packaging of chemical and biological cargos in liquid phase as well as the encapsulation of gases within solidified bubbles. Simple, versatile, and biocompatible, this technology constitutes a potent platform for programmable coating and soft/smart encapsulation of fluids.
See an example of a self-standing poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) film with thickness of ~ 200 nm:
Check out how WRAPPINGS can be used to encapsulate a liquid drop & make a ''liquid dumpling'' that can manipulated:
Check out how WRAPPINGS can be used to encapsulate a bio cargo (a Daphnia):
Wait! Chemical cargos can also be encapsulated (and we can see through the packaging!):
Gases can also be packaged with WRAPPINGS. See below a cool video of solidified soap bubble that is pierced with a needle:
You may find the whole article (open access) as well as many more videos here.
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