The Need

Polypropylene is one of the most commonly used plastic material for consumer packaging. It is also used in many other things, like textiles, stationary, plastic parts, and many other things. When used as packaging, there are a few problems that need to be addressed, and one of them is that it is not liquid repellent, and can easily be damaged by said liquids. One of the ways this has been resolved is to create a superomniphobic surface on the plastic, which will keep the liquid in a metastable state. However, it is not a perfect method, and needs to be improved to keep the preservation of products at an appropriate level.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University, led by Dr. Bharat Bhushan, created a novel liquid-impregnated porous polymer surface. This porous polymer surface is different compared to previous liquid-impregnated surfaces. It is a polypropylene treated with a very specific polypropylene compound, and then heated to a specific temperature. The surface is then activated using UV radiation, and with another compound.

Commercial Applications

• Consumer packaging factories
• liquid-repelling material producers

Benefits/Advantages

• Does not require rare substrates, unlike common liquid-repelling surfaces
• It is more durable than common liquid-repelling surfaces
• It is more cost effective than common liquid-repelling surfaces

Patent Protection

• United States Patent No. 11,248,129