A superhydrophobic ceramic coating that is transparent and durable includes a dispersion of a multiplicity of silica nanoparticles stacked to form a topography that is rough that is infused with and conformally coated with a sol-gel glass matrix that has a fluoroalkyl silane or an alkyl silane monolayer on the surface of the coating. The silica nanoparticles do not scatter light to a large extent as they are sufficiently small and free of aggregation. The sol-gel glass is formed from a trialkoxysilane precursor and applied to the stacked silica nanoparticles to retain the rough topography of the deposited nanoparticles.

The disclosed technology relates to methods, apparatuses and systems for detecting molecules using surface plasmon resonance techniques, and more particularly to surface plasmon resonance techniques that employ metal nanoparticles formed on substrates. In one aspect, method of making a layer of metallic nanoparticles includes providing a liquid composition comprising a binder polymer and a solvent and at least partially immersing, into the liquid composition, an article comprising a polymeric surface, wherein the polymeric surface comprises a polymeric material and does not comprise an inorganic glass or crystalline material. The method additionally includes applying a gas phase plasma to the liquid composition to facilitate chemical reactions between the binder polymer and the polymeric material of the polymeric surface to form a binder layer on the polymeric surface of the article. The method further includes applying metallic nanoparticles onto the binder layer to form a metallic nanoparticle layer on the binder layer.

A corrosion-resistant optical device is disclosed. The device includes a substrate, a silver layer upon the substrate, and an insulating layer that provides abrasion resistance. The device is immersed in a thiol-rich solution. The thiols form a corrosion-inhibiting monolayer upon any exposed silver surface. This increases the environmental resistance of the optical device, keeping water from interacting with the silver layer.

Disclosed herein are inventive methods of making thin films, inventive thin films, and inventive articles and systems comprising thin films. Certain embodiments are related to methods of making thin films in which reagents are arranged within a first phase and a second phase such that at least one reagent reacts to form a thin film proximate to the interface between the first phase and the second phase. Thin films (including two-dimensional materials) disclosed herein can have one or more of a variety of beneficial properties including large lateral dimension(s), lateral continuity, high mechanical strength, consistent spatial composition, and/or consistent thickness. In accordance with certain embodiments, thin films disclosed herein can be combined to form a variety of inventive multi-layer articles, including multi-layer articles comprising a combination of thin films having different compositions that interact with each other via van der Waals forces.

The present invention provides a surface-independent surface-modifying multifunctional biocoating and methods of application thereof. The method comprises contacting at least a portion of a substrate with an alkaline solution comprising a surface-modifying agent (SMA) such as dopamine so as to modify the substrate surface to include at least one reactive moiety. In another version of the invention, a secondary reactive moiety is applied to the SMA-treated substrate to yield a surface-modified substrate having a specific functionality.

A nano-coating material, capable of being bonded to the surface of a metal or an alloy substrate, the nano-coating material includes a compound having, in a polymer main chain, (A) a first side chain or a terminal, each having a binding group containing a benzene ring having at least one pair of adjacent hydroxyl groups; and (B) a functional second side chain.

A method of forming a self-cleaning film system includes depositing a photocatalytic material onto a substrate to form a first layer. The method also includes disposing a photoresist onto the first layer and then exposing the photoresist to light so that the photoresist has a developed portion and an undeveloped portion. The method includes removing the undeveloped portion so that the developed portion protrudes from the first layer. After removing, the method includes depositing a perfluorocarbon siloxane polymer onto the first layer to surround and contact the developed portion. After depositing the perfluorocarbon siloxane polymer, the method includes removing the developed portion to thereby form the self-cleaning film system.

An epilamization agent containing at least one compound including at least hydrophobic and oleophobic moieties arranged to impart epilame properties to the compound, and at least one hydrophilic moiety arranged to make the compound soluble in aqueous medium, the hydrophilic moiety being linked to the compound by at least one cleavable group. A method for coating a substrate with epilame, including: preparing an aqueous epilamization bath by solubilising such an epilamization agent, placing the substrate in contact with the epilamization agent in the epilamization bath, separating the hydrophilic moiety from the epilamization agent by cleavage, rinsing the substrate to eliminate the hydrophilic residues from the hydrophilic moiety and drying.

The present invention provides a surface-independent surface-modifying multifunctional biocoating and methods of application thereof. The method comprises contacting at least a portion of a substrate with an alkaline solution comprising a surface-modifying agent (SMA) such as dopamine so as to modify the substrate surface to include at least one reactive moiety. In another version of the invention, a secondary reactive moiety is applied to the SMA-treated substrate to yield a surface-modified substrate having a specific functionality.

Composite materials are made by impregnating a non-conductive material with a conducting monomer to form a monomer-impregnated non-conductive material, and polymerizing the monomer-impregnated non-conductive material to form the composite material. The composite materials are used in medical devices and implants.