Calculation Of Surface Free Energy Research Articles

Atomic structure of different surface terminations of polycrystalline ZnPd

The intermetallic compound ZnPd has been found to have desirable characteristics as a catalyst for the steam reforming of methanol. The understanding of the surface structure of ZnPd is important to optimize its catalytic behavior. However, due to the lack of bulk single-crystal samples and the complexity of characterizing surface properties in the available polycrystalline samples using common experimental techniques, all previous surface science studies of this compound have been performed on surface alloy samples formed through thin-film deposition. In this study, we present findings on the chemical and atomic structure of the surfaces of bulk polycrystalline ZnPd studied by a variety of complementary experimental techniques, including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low energy electron microscopy (LEEM), photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM), and microspot low-energy electron diffraction (μ-LEED). These experimental techniques, combined with density functional theory (DFT)-based thermodynamic calculations of surface free energy and detachment kinetics at the step edges, confirm that surfaces terminated by atomic layers composed of both Zn and Pd atoms are more stable than those terminated by only Zn or Pd layers. DFT calculations also demonstrate that the primary contribution to the tunneling current arises from Pd atoms, in agreement with the STM results. The formation of intermetallics at surfaces may contribute to the superior catalyst properties of ZnPd over Zn or Pd elemental counterparts. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Optimization of the interfacial properties between mechanically and electrochemically treated aluminium and nano-modified coatings for printed outdoor applications

The aim of this research was to analyze the interfacial properties between the surfaces of mechanically and electrochemically treated aluminium substrates and the printed coatings modified by the addition of silicon dioxide (SiO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were added to the printing inks in various concentrations with the scope to optimize the interface properties of the prints for outdoor applications. The surface, as well as the structural and mechanical properties of the printed coatings were evaluated. Various methods were employed to measure and analyze the surface and interfacial properties of aluminium and coatings. Surface microphotographs and the roughness of the treated aluminium substrates were examined, the surface free energy of the aluminium and the coatings as well as the adhesion properties were calculated, and the thickness and optical density of the coatings were measured. Considering that the treated aluminium samples prepared for this research had quite textured and different surfaces, the contact angles used for the calculation of surface free energy were calculated with and without Wenzel model to obtain detailed information about the interactions between the surface of aluminium samples and the printed modified coatings. The results showed that the type of treatment of aluminium substrates as well as the modification of the printing inks have a significant influence on the adhesion and surface properties of the coatings considered. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the produced nano-modified coatings can be used as printed coatings or as customized primers for applying various types of inks and coatings.

Insight into material behavior via surface free energy calculations for common energetic materials

AbstractThe Gibbs Free energy is a driving force for equilibrium crystal shapes and the formation of crystal facets in molecular crystals. Orientation dependence of interfacial properties is linked to surface free energy (SFE). Prediction of orientation‐dependent properties such as thermal stability, mechanical response, and compatibility with binders require a systematic approach to the quantification of SFE. In molecular crystals, entropy has a much larger contribution among all ordered crystalline materials. In this paper, we extend our previously developed method to quantify SFE and entropy of β‐HMX to other common energetic materials–TATB, α‐RDX, and PETN. Two complimentary approaches, Nonequilibrium Thermodynamic Integration (NETI) and Steered Molecular Dynamics (SMD) methods are used to obtain insight into interfacial phenomena along with surface free energy estimates. We discuss the relevance of surface free energy and the importance of surface entropy for facetted molecular crystals in understanding crystal properties, activation of slip planes, and potential pathways for fracture. These values allow us to predict theoretical crystal shape using Wulff Construction, better understand the effect of hydrogen bonding on SFE, and the diversity of bonding environment in energetic crystals. In particular, in crystals with low stacking fault energy, the SMD values can be inconclusive due to the triggering of slip plane motions. In cases where SMD simulations lead to large deformations and high uncertainty, the NETI approach can still provide SFE estimates.

Hydrophobization of Cold Plasma Activated Glass Surfaces by Hexamethyldisilazane Treatment.

The objective of this study was to investigate the modification of glass surfaces by the synergistic combination of cold plasma and chemical surface modification techniques. Glass surface hydrophobicity was obtained as a result of various plasma and deposition operational conditions. The mechanisms governing the hydrophobization process were also studied. Glass plates were activated with plasma using different gases (oxygen and argon) at different treatment times, ranging from 30 to 1800 s. Then, the plasma-treated surfaces were exposed to hexamethyldisilazane vapors at different temperatures, i.e., 25, 60, and 100 °C. Complete characterization, including contact angle measurements, surface free energy calculations, 3D profilometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, was accomplished. It was found that the extent of the hydrophobicity effect depends on both the plasma pre-treatment and the specific conditions of the hexamethyldisilazane deposition process. Plasma activation led to the formation of active sites on the glass surface, which promoted the adsorption and reaction of hexamethyldisilazane species, thereby inducing surface chemical modification. Longer plasma pre-treatment resulted in stronger modification on the glass surface, resulting in changes in the surface roughness. The largest water contact angle of ≈100° was obtained for the surface activated by argon plasma for 1800 s and exposed to hexamethyldisilazane vapors at 25 °C. The changes in the surface properties were caused by the introduction of the hydrophobic trimethylsilyl groups onto the glass surface as well as roughness development.

Surface free energy calculation of the solid–fluid interfaces from molecular simulation

In this work, I present a straightforward approach for computing surface free energy γF based on the assessment of surface internal energy (γU), avoiding the difficulty connected to the determination of the elastic contribution in the case of a solid surface. This methodology has thus been extended to the calculation of γF for the interface between the liquid–vapor phase of water, the solid–vapor interface of aluminum, the aluminum–water interface, rigid graphene–water solid–liquid interfaces, and the n-dodecane–water liquid–liquid interface.

Enhancing the bond strength between glass fibre reinforced polyamide 6 and aluminium through μPlasma surface modification

Thermoplastic polymers generally exhibit relatively low surface energies and this often results in limited adhesion when bonded to other materials. Plasma surface modification offers the potential to functionalise the polymer surfaces, and thereby enhance the bond strength between dissimilar materials. In this study, glass fibre reinforced polyamide 6 (GFPA6) was modified using a novel μPlasma surface treatment technique and the effectiveness of the adhesive bond with aluminium was evaluated. The treated GFPA6 surfaces were characterised using atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, surface free energy calculations and wetting envelope analysis. The results show that there was a near exponential growth in root mean square roughness with increasing treatment scans. A significant increase in carbonyl and amide functionality on the polymer surface was observed using Raman spectroscopy. The total surface energy was found to increase from 42.2 mN/m to 67.6 mN/m following a single treatment scan. Significant increases in the tensile shear strength were observed up to 10 treatment scans, going from 1 kN to 2.3 kN, but no further increase was observed with additional treatment scans. These observations, coupled with the atmospheric nature of the technique, points to great potential as a rapid, on-line, and effective, polymer surface treatment technique.

Combinatorial Effects of the Recipes of the Initial Gas-atomized Powder Sizes on Microstructure and Passivation Characteristics of the SLM-ed Ti-6Al-4V Bulk Alloys

Bulk Ti-6Al-4V alloys have been fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) in three recipes with different combinations of powder sizes. Combinatorial effects of initial gas-atomized powder sizes on microstructure and corrosion properties of SLM-ed Ti-6Al-4V alloys have been investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electrochemical measurements and surface free energy. The SLM-ed Ti-6Al-4V alloys are composed of acicular α' martensite and α phases. Many pinhole defects and twin boundaries exist in the SLM-ed Ti-6Al-4V alloys. According to electrochemical tests and surface free energy calculation, the SLM-ed Ti-6Al-4V alloys with 0 – 53 μm powders have the most positive corrosion potential, the lowest current density and the smallest surface free energy of 20.89 mJ m2. The passive film of SLM-ed Ti-6Al-4V alloys with 0 – 53 μm powders has superior protection ability due to their large thickness. The carrier concentration of SLM-ed Ti-6Al-4V alloys with 0 – 53 μm powders is the lowest by the Mott-Schottky curves. The SLM-ed samples with contact angles higher than 90º are hydrophobic, but the small contact angle of 46.98º reflects the hydrophilic features of as-rolled Ti-6Al-4V alloys. The combinatorial recipe of SLM-ed Ti-6Al-4V alloys with 0 – 53 μm powders is optimal for improvements on the corrosion resistance.

Molecular-scale insight into improved waterproofing of cement paste by protective epoxy resins nano-coating

The durability of cement binding paste is an important challenge in building sector that can be improved by increasing the resistance to water infiltration in the cement paste. The aim of the present work is mainly devoted to analyze at nanoscale level the interfacial interaction of epoxy resins coated on (001) surface of the nanogranular Calcium-Silicate-Hydrate (CSH) paste. By means of molecular dynamics simulations, a full nano-coated CSH surfaces show that m-phenylenediamine (MPD) would highly improve the coating efficiency. Results reveal that the coated (001) CSH surface models are more stable and the calculated surface free energy is roughly 95% loss compared with the non-coated surface, reducing therefore the hydrophilicity of the CSH surface. The related values are found in the range of 33.7 mJ/m2- 45.5 mJ/m2, in agreement with experimental findings. The obtained averaged contact angle between the equilibrated water-nanodroplet and the best coated CSH is in the range of 84.29°- 91.97°, which corresponds to the observed experimental measurements. Finally, the calculated work of adhesion is estimated to102.81 mJ/m2,which is close to the experimental findings of 102.79 and 90.17 mJ/m2, corresponding to 2 and 28 days hydration of cement. Consequently, our findings reveal that 16.46 wt% of epoxy coating including 2.61% of MDP reduces by 3.14–3.57 times the hydrophilicity of CSH (001) surface, leading to a promising future of sustainable cementitious materials.

Study of Argon and Oxygen Mixtures in Low Temperature Plasma for Improving PLA Film Wettability

Oxygen (O2) and argon (Ar) plasma give a significant improvement in the wettability of PLA films. This study investigates the effectiveness of plasma activation with a mixture of these two gases. The study includes contact angle measurements with water and diiodomethane and calculation of surface free energy (SFE) together with its polar and dispersion components. In addition, a chemical analysis of the surface, surface roughness, weight loss and the change in tensile strength were examined. As a result of the study, it was found that the use of a mixture of oxygen and argon during the plasma activation of the polylactide film gives better improvement in wettability than the use of pure gases. Moreover, the use of a mixture of these gases in equal proportions turned out to be the most effective, providing the highest value of the SFE and its polar component, as well as the lowest value of the water contact angle. Furthermore, plasma activation with this gas mixture results in reduced surface etching compared to other gas compositions, which manifests itself in lower weight reduction and an insignificant change in tensile strength.

Surface free energy and roughness of flowable dental composites

Purpose The surface properties like roughness, wettability and surface free energy are important for utility properties of traditional and flowable dental restorative composites, due to their role in plaque formation, discoloration, mechanical wear or adhesion and bonding. The goal of our work was to assess the surface free energy (SFE) and the surface roughness (Ra) of three commercial flowable dental composites: everX Flow (bulk), everX Flow (dentin) and Flow-Art. Methods Surface roughness, contact angle and surface free energy were determined for tested composites. Two surface states (control and roughened) were compared. Roughness was measured with the use of the 3D optical profilometer. The contact angle (CA) was determined through the sessile drop method with the use of four different probing liquids. This enabled to apply two surface free energy approaches (Owens–Wendt (O-W) and van Oss–Chaudhury–Good (LWAB)). Additionally, Zisman’s approach (γC) was used. Results The water contact angle values were similar for Flow-Art (67.56±1.49°) and everX Flow (bulk) (68.94±2.72°) compared to higher value for everX Flow (dentin) (74.39±2.05°). SFE was in the range from 43 to 50 mJ/m^2 for O-W and from 47 to 62 mJ/m2 for LWAB. The γC was from 37 to 45 mJ/m^2. Conclusions Roughening composites’ surface influenced on increasing the CA value. All approaches of surface free energy calculations provide useful data for predicting interactions between flowable composites and dental tissues. Tested composites showed good wetting for initial state of surface after polymerization. These influence on better adhesion of the material to the bonding system during dental restoration.

Bacterial and Cellular Response to Yellow-Shaded Surface Modifications for Dental Implant Abutments.

Dental implants have dramatically changed the rehabilitation procedures in dental prostheses but are hindered by the possible onset of peri-implantitis. This paper aims to assess whether an anodization process applied to clinically used surfaces could enhance the adhesion of fibroblasts and reduce bacterial adhesion using as a reference the untreated machined surface. To this purpose, four different surfaces were prepared: (i) machined (MAC), (ii) machined and anodized (Y-MAC), (iii) anodized after sand-blasting and acid etching treatment (Y-SL), and (iv) anodized after double acid etching (Y-DM). All specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Moreover, the mean contact angle in both water and diiodomethane as well as surface free energy calculation was assessed. To evaluate changes in terms of biological responses, we investigated the adhesion of Streptococcus sanguinis (S. sanguinis) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), fetal bovine serum (FBS) adsorption, and the early response of fibroblasts in terms of cell adhesion and viability. We found that the anodization reduced bacterial adhesion, while roughened surfaces outperformed the machined ones for protein adsorption, fibroblast adhesion, and viability independently of the treatment. It can be concluded that surface modification techniques such as anodization are valuable options to enhance the performance of dental implants.

Adhesion and colorimetric analysis of acrylate resin-based screen-printed inks on anodized aluminium substrate

Adhesion, colorimetric analysis, and lightfastness of acrylate resin-based inks printed on an anodized aluminium substrate were studied. Samples of AA1050 alloy were chemically pretreated and anodized to appropriately modify the surface morphology in order to be printable. Printing inks with different compositions and two types of printing plates were used in the deposition of coatings by the screen printing technique. Surface morphology analyses, contact angle measurements, and surface free energy calculations were performed on the treated aluminium samples. The properties in terms of ink viscosity, thickness and surface characteristics of the printed unaged and aged coatings were observed. The results of the measurements performed on the coatings showed that different compositions of the inks lead to differences in the adhesion of the coatings to the aluminium substrate and affect the changes in the lightfastness of the coatings. The use of printing plates with different properties had a significant impact on the thickness and lightfastness of the printed coatings. The scientific results of this study have shown that it is possible to profile the printing influencing parameters depending on the application requirements.

Evaluation of the Biocompatibility and Osteogenic Properties of Metal Oxide Coatings Applied by Magnetron Sputtering as Potential Biofunctional Surface Modifications for Orthopedic Implants.

Biomaterials with adequate properties to direct a biological response are essential for orthopedic and dental implants. The surface properties are responsible for the biological response; thus, coatings with biologically relevant properties such as osteoinduction are exciting options to tailor the surface of different bulk materials. Metal oxide coatings such as TiO2, ZrO2, Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 have been suggested as promising for orthopedic and dental implants. However, a comparative study among them is still missing to select the most promising for bone-growth-related applications. In this work, using magnetron sputtering, TiO2, ZrO2, Ta2O5, and Nb2O5 thin films were deposited on Si (100) substrates. The coatings were characterized by Optical Profilometry, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Water Contact Angle measurements, and Surface Free Energy calculations. The cell adhesion, viability, proliferation, and differentiation toward the osteoblastic phenotype of mesenchymal stem cells plated on the coatings were measured to define the biological response. Results confirmed that all coatings were biocompatible. However, a more significant number of cells and proliferative cells were observed on Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 compared to TiO2 and ZrO2. Nevertheless, Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 seemed to induce cell differentiation toward the osteoblastic phenotype in a longer cell culture time than TiO2 and ZrO2.

Morphology Effect of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on the Gas Separation Performance of Polyurethane Mixed Matrix Membranes for CO2 Recovery from CH4, O2, and N2.

The effect of the morphology and content of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) on the physicochemical, mechanical, and gas transport properties of the polyurethane (PU) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with respect to CO2 recovery from CH4, O2, and N2 was studied. The MMMs based on PU with spherical and rod-shaped ZnO-NPs at various loadings, namely, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2 wt. %, were prepared with membrane density control and studied using AFM, wettability measurements, surface free energy calculation, gas separation and mechanical testing. To evaluate the resistance of the ZnO-NPs to agglomeration in the polymer solutions, zeta potential was determined. The ZnO-NPs with average cross sectional size of 30 nm were obtained by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) from elemental high-purity zinc in a zinc-oxygen-hydrogen plasma-forming gas mixture. It was established that the spherical ZnO-NPs are promising to improve the gas performance of PU-based MMMs for CO2 recovery from natural gas, while the rod-shaped NPs better demonstrate their potential in capturing CO2 in flue gases.

Construction of high-efficiency fixing structure of waterborne paint on silicate-modified poplar surfaces by bridging with silane coupling agents

To improve the wettability, the surface free energy, and film adhesion performance of silicate-modified poplar wood (SMPW) surfaces, different silane coupling agents (KH550, KH560, KH570, and KH580) were applied to SMPW surfaces. The properties including film adhesion, functional groups, wettability, penetration depth, and surface free energy were analyzed and characterized by film adhesion tests, FT-IR, XPS, SEM, contact angle measurements, optical magnifying microscope test, and surface free energy calculations. The results showed that the film adhesion of poplar wood, SMPW, and the silane coupling agents KH550, KH560, KH570 and KH580 treated SMPW surfaces were grade 1, grade 3, grade 1, grade 0, grade 1, and grade 0, respectively. The SEM test results were consistent with results of the paint film adhesion. According to the XPS results, there were two binding energies peaks at 99–104 eV and 151–155 eV, corresponding to Si 2p and Si 2s, respectively, indicating that the form of Si had changed. In the FITR spectra, the SiOSi stretching and bending vibrations on the surface of the modified material treated with silane coupling agents were significantly stronger than that of the SMPW, indicating that silane coupling agents chemically bonded to the surface of the SMPW. The contact angles of the WBSV on the surface of poplar material, SMPW and silane coupling agent KH550, KH560, KH570, and KH580 were 50.60°, 77.17°, 52°, 45.92°, 52.83°, and 47.20°, respectively. The wettability of the surface after silicate modification was lower than that of the poplar material. After silane coupling agent treatment, the wettability of the surface to the WBSV was improved to varying degrees. The surface free energy of poplar and SMPW were 46.88 and 37.72 (10−3 J·m−2), respectively, illustrating that SMPW reduced the surface free energy. The surface free energy of SMPW treated with silane coupling agents KH550, KH560, KH570, and KH580 was 45.10, 50.93, 44.06, and 49.49 (10−3 J·m−2), respectively, which showed that the surface free energy of SMPW treated with different silane coupling agents was higher than that of SMPW.

Theoretical insight into the interaction between hydrogen and Hägg carbide (χ-Fe5C2) surfaces

In heterogeneous catalysis, the interaction between adsorbates and substrate surface plays an important role on surface structure evolution and even the reaction mechanism. Herein, unified DFT calculation and ab initio atomistic thermodynamics were adopted to explore the interaction between hydrogen and multiple Fe5C2 surfaces. The computation indicates that the dissociation of hydrogen molecule is both thermodynamically and kinetically favorable on Fe5C2 surfaces. The adsorption energy of hydrogen atoms is related to the summed H bond valance (SBVH), a higher SBVH corresponding to a more stable adsorption strength. Based on calculated surface free energy with different hydrogen coverage, the equilibrium crystalline morphology evolution of Fe5C2 under dynamic conditions was constructed with Wulff theorem. C-rich facets expose more area in Wulff construction with decreasing hydrogen chemical potential. The generation of carbon vacancy through reducing to methane has also been investigated, and the reduction of (111) and (11-1) facets is more facile than other facets. We anticipate this work could complement some knowledge to help understanding the surface structure and performance of iron carbide catalysts under experimental conditions.

Tetracycline Derivatives Inhibit Plasmodial Cysteine Protease Falcipain-2 through Binding to a Distal Allosteric Site

Allosteric inhibitors regulate enzyme activity from remote and usually specific pockets. As they promise an avenue for less toxic and safer drugs, the identification and characterization of allosteric inhibitors has gained great academic and biomedical interest in recent years. Research on falcipain-2 (FP-2), the major papain-like cysteine hemoglobinase of Plasmodium falciparum, might benefit from this strategy to overcome the low selectivity against human cathepsins shown by active site-directed inhibitors. Encouraged by our previous finding that methacycline inhibits FP-2 noncompetitively, here we assessed other five tetracycline derivatives against this target and characterized their inhibition mechanism. As previously shown for methacycline, tetracycline derivatives inhibited FP-2 in a noncompetitive fashion, with Ki values ranging from 121 to 190 μM. A possible binding to the S' side of the FP-2 active site, similar to that described by X-ray crystallography (PDB: 6SSZ) for the noncompetitive inhibitor E-chalcone 48 (EC48), was experimentally discarded by kinetic analysis using a large peptidyl substrate spanning the whole active site. By combining lengthy molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that allowed methacycline to diffuse from solution to different FP-2 surface regions and free energy calculations, we predicted the most likely binding mode of the ligand. Of note, the proposed binding pose explains the low differences in Ki values observed for the tested tetracycline derivatives and the calculated binding free energies match the experimental values. Overall, this study has implications for the design of novel allosteric inhibitors against FP-2 and sets the basis for further optimization of the tetracycline scaffold to produce more potent and selective inhibitors.

Evaluation of polyphenylene sulfide by surface thermodynamics approaches: Comparison with common polymers

AbstractPoly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) is an advanced thermoplastic and widely used in industrial applications requiring high performance. Research on improving the surface properties of PPS is still ongoing and a detailed surface free energy (SFE) knowledge of this polymer is necessary for its applications related to surface wettability. In this study, wettability characteristics of PPS were evaluated by SFE calculations. For this purpose, the apparent contact angles of nine different test liquids having various surface tensions were measured on the PPS surface by the sessile drop method. After that, the dispersive and polar components of SFE were calculated using geometric (Owens and Wendt's method) and harmonic (Wu's method) mean approaches. The Lifshitz‐van der Waals, acidic and basic components of SFE were calculated using van Oss‐Chaudhury‐Good method. Additionally, the surface tension values of PPS were also determined by equation of state, Zisman's critical surface tension and Fowkes' approaches. In the present study, the effects of calculation methods and selected liquid pairs on SFE parameters were systematically investigated. It was found that selected liquid pairs and calculation methods affected the SFE considerably. The reasons for this were examined and the SFE components of PPS was compared with some common polymers for better evaluation.

Effect on hydrophobicity and antimicrobial behavior of epoxy resin due to silane functionalized TiO2 as nanofillers

4-Aminobutyltriethoxysilane functionalized TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-ABTES) dispersed diglycidyl ethers of bisphenol-A (DGEBA-GY260) were studied for antimicrobial applications. Epoxy nano-hybrid coatings of four different concentrations (1, 3, 5 and 7 wt %) were developed using TiO2-ABTES as the dispersed phase and a commercially available DGEBA as the matrix phase. Triethylenetetramine (TETA) used to cure the nanocomposites films. The structural characteristics of these materials were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectral studies, Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscope analysis. The surface characteristics of the samples were estimated from contact angle measurements and calculated surface free energy and adhesion energy. The bacteriological tests were done using the agar diffusion method with different concentrations of TiO2-ABTES. The antimicrobial activity test noted that the antimicrobial activity of 7 wt% TiO2-ABTES nanoparticles loaded epoxy nanocomposite film has a better inhibition zone against all pathogens under study.

Formation of highly crosslinked polymer films in the presence of bio-based epoxy by photoinitiated cationic polymerization

Oleic acid was used as bio-based starting material for manufacturing of bis-(9,10-epoxystearic acid) 1,2-ethanediyl ester (EEDE). In contrast to epoxidized triglycerides, which contain also saturated structures, EEDE comprises exactly two epoxy groups that is advantageous for comparison with commercial diepoxides such as 1,4-butanediol diglycidylether (BDDE), 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl-3′,4′-epoxycyclohexane carboxylate (EEC), and diglycidylether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA). Although 9,10-epoxystearic acid methyl ester (EME) and EEDE using bis-(t-butyl)-iodonium-tetrakis(perfluoro-t-butoxy)aluminate and isopropylthioxanthone as photoinitiator system are less reactive compared to the commercial diglycidylethers BDDE and DGEBA, the crosslinked films made from EEDE alone or a stoichiometric EEDE-DGEBA mixture showed higher hydrophobicity compared to crosslinked films derived from the commercial monomers as shown by both contact angle measurements and surface free energy calculation. Furthermore, DMA analysis resulted in detection of a secondary relaxation (β relaxation) in addition to the glass transition in case of poly-DGEBA and networks made from EEDE DGEBA mixtures using DGEBA excess. Although the glass transition temperature determined by both DSC and DMA decreases for the networks containing EEDE segments in comparison with pure DGEBA networks, the crosslink density is nearly not affected by the EEDE segments. This may be attributed to the structure of EEDE containing exactly two epoxy groups that is the case for DGEBA as well. The more flexible aliphatic chain causes the lower glass transition temperature. In addition, crosslink density and Mc value of poly-EEDE-DGEBA made from a 1:5 M ratio of EEDE: DGEBA by photoinitiated cationic polymerization show a nearly ideal crosslinked polymer network structure. The crosslinked poly-EEDE-DGEBA films may be interesting for application in coatings because of their high crosslink density.