Abstract
Poly(acrylic acid-co-allyl acrylate) statistical copolymers were synthesized in a controlled manner in two steps: first tert.butyl acrylate and allyl acrylate were polymerized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and afterwords the tert.butyl protective groups were removed via hydrolysis. Samples of self cleaning glass (SCG) were coated with thin films of poly(acrylic acid-co-allyl acrylate) and cross-linked afterwards by UV irradiation (in the presence of a photoinitiator and an accelerator). Solution cast thin films were transparent and homogeneous before and after UV cross-linking. The irradiated samples were found to be hydrophilic (Θ < 20°) and water insoluble. The coating prevented the spontaneous hydrophobization of the SCG by residual silicon exhaled from the sealing material. The TiO2 photocatalyst that covers the glass surface was found to strip the protective coating. The rate of the photooxidation process was measured by IR spectroscopy. The real field performance of the protective coating was also tested.
Highlights
Progress in the understanding and fabrication of surfaces with controlled wetting properties allowed the emergence of contamination free surfaces
Free radical polymerization and copolymerization of allyl acrylate (AA) with alkylacrylates and styrene leads to a cross-linked polymer even at low conversion
Copolymerization of tert.butyl acrylate and allyl acrylate via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was chosen because the method allows synthesizing polymers containing tert.butyl and allylic side groups in the same molecule
Summary
Progress in the understanding and fabrication of surfaces with controlled wetting properties allowed the emergence of contamination free surfaces (or “no clean”). Pollutants that leach from siloxane based resin, which is often used to seal the glass on a frame Such contaminants are hydrophobic and promptly spread on ultra-hydrophilic surface, resulting in a thin hydrophobic layer, which may be detrimental to the TiO2 photocatalyst [10,11,12,13]. Spreading of the residual siloxane is favored on the hydrophilic SCG surface, since the TiO2 surface is a high-energy one and should be wetted by most liquids in particular by the low surface tension siloxane [10] Such contaminants are hydrophobizing the surface but are known to hydrolyze and condense under the influence of ambient humidity and radiation to form thin layers of SiO2 [15]. The hydrophilicity and the performance of such a layer in protecting the SCG were tested in ambient light and in real atmospheric conditions
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