Abstract
Fluoropolymer-based coatings are widely used for release applications. However, these hydrophobic surfaces do not reveal a significantly low adhesion. Water repellency incorporated to fluoropolymer coatings might enhance their release performance. In this work, we focused on the surface texturing of a well-known polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-based coating. We explored as texturing routes: sanding, sandblasting and laser ablation. We examined the surface roughness with white light confocal microscopy and the surface morphology with environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Water-repellent fluoropolymer coatings were reproduced in all cases, although with different degree, parametrized with bounces of water drops (4–5 μL). Laser ablation enabled the lowest adhesion of coatings with 24 ± 2 bounces. This result and the current development of laser patterning for industry assure the incipient use of laser ablation for release coatings.
Highlights
Release/demolding coatings based on fluoropolymers or fluoro-silicones are widely used in automotive and footwear manufacturing [1], as well as the cookware and food industries [2,3,4,5]among others
Unlike other previous works consulted in which this experimental test has been used to analyze the morphology of the droplet during the cycle of one or several bounces [43], the number of waterdrop bounces on the surface under study was counted to measure the degree of water-repellency in each treated PTFE coating sample
The results of this experimental research showed that Nd:YAG laser ablation enabled much lower adhesion of coatings, in terms of the number of bounces reproduced by the waterdrop onto the coating surface, compared with the adhesion observed in the samples treated by polishing and/or sandblasting
Summary
Release/demolding coatings based on fluoropolymers or fluoro-silicones are widely used in automotive and footwear manufacturing [1], as well as the cookware and food industries [2,3,4,5]. Unlike other previous works consulted in which this experimental test has been used to analyze the morphology of the droplet during the cycle of one or several bounces [43], the number of waterdrop bounces on the surface under study was counted to measure the degree of water-repellency in each treated PTFE coating sample. The results of this experimental research showed that Nd:YAG laser ablation enabled much lower adhesion of coatings, in terms of the number of bounces reproduced by the waterdrop onto the coating surface, compared with the adhesion observed in the samples treated by polishing and/or sandblasting. Laser ablation points out to be the best strategy to produce water-repellent fluoropolymer coatings
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