An ultraviolet curing apparatus having: a roller for guiding a film coated with a resin; a first nitrogen gas introduction port and a second nitrogen gas introduction port for introducing nitrogen gas; a UV irradiation portion for irradiating the film with ultraviolet rays from between the first nitrogen gas introduction port and the second nitrogen gas introduction port; an oxygen concentration meter for measuring an oxygen concentration between the film and the UV irradiation portion; an air introduction port for introducing air between the film and the UV irradiation portion; and a controller for controlling at least any one of: an amount of air introduced from the air introduction port, an amount of nitrogen gas introduced from the first nitrogen gas introduction port, and an amount of nitrogen gas introduced from the second nitrogen gas introduction port, so that the oxygen concentration is within a preset oxygen concentration set range.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for coating a material by contacting the material with a coating material and a solvent are disclosed herein. The coated material can be obtained by evaporating the solvent: by heating the coated material directly or indirectly with electromagnetic radiation; by heating with heat generated from a heat source that heats an internal container for the material to be coated and/or coated material; and/or in an interior volume of a coating container having a side wall, by heating a portion of the side wall of the coating container and/or internal container with a heat source that is positioned outside of the interior volume of the coating container.

This application relates to omniphobic materials which are physically and chemically modified at their surface to create hierarchically structured materials with both nanoscale and microscale structures that provide the omniphobic properties. Methods of making such omniphobic surfaces with hierarchical structures and uses thereof, including as flexible films that repel contaminants are also disclosed in the application.

The invention relates to a polymeric fabric comprising an outer functional layer having hydrophobic and oleophobic characteristics made of a first compound, and a second functional layer having hydrophobic characteristics made of a second compound, wherein the first and the second compound differ from each other. Further the outer functional layer at least partly coats the second layer. Additionally, the invention relates to a method of producing a polymeric fabric and an apparatus for producing a polymeric fabric.

A method is provided for depositing a planarization layer over features on a substrate using sequential polymerization chemical vapor deposition. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate containing a plurality of features with gaps between the plurality of features, delivering precursor molecules by gas phase exposure to the substrate, adsorbing the precursor molecules on the substrate to at least substantially fill the gaps with a layer of the adsorbed precursor molecules, and reacting the precursor molecules to form a polymer layer that at least substantially fills the gaps.

A coating composition for applying a very thin film coating to a substrate such as a polymeric film comprises a copolymer such as a block copolymer (BCP) that is compatible with the substrate, an alcohol solvent or solvents capable of dissolving the copolymer, a hydrolysed metal alkoxide precursor, a carboxylic acid stabiliser, and an active agent in an ionic, molecular, or small nanoparticle form. The active agent is configured to provide a functionality to the coating composition, selected from antimicrobial, antifungal, barrier, therapeutic, electrical, electronic, magnetic and optical. The composition is a sol comprising a continuous non-sedimentable/stable suspension of very small sized (of nano order) amorphous inorganic polymers in their oligomeric or polymeric state, and comprising the active agent dispersed in a hydrolysed metal alkoxide-BCP matrix. Substrates coated with very thin coatings are also provided, including coated LDPE which is activated before coating by UV/ozone, plasma or corona treatment prior to deposition of a wetting layer.

An object of the present invention is to provide an active energy ray-curable coating composition including a specific resin component and at least one pigment (D) selected from the group consisting of a coloring pigment and a glitter pigment. The present invention provides an active energy ray-curable coating composition including a poly[(meth)acryloyloxyalkyl] isocyanurate (A); a polyfunctional (meth)acrylate (B) having 4 or more (meth)acrylate groups; an acrylic resin (C); and at least one pigment (D) selected from the group consisting of a coloring pigment and a glitter pigment, wherein the acrylic resin (C) has a weight-average molecular weight in the range of 5,000 to 30,000 and a solubility parameter in the range of 9.0 to 11.5.

An apparatus for matting a coating applied on mainly flat panels includes a cleaning workstation and an excimer treatment workstation where the panels are conveyed by a belt conveyor having an upper outward section and a lower return section. In the cleaning workstation, the upper outward section of the belt conveyor has a V-shaped path, which is formed by two rollers in contact with the plane of advancement of the panel, and a roller in lower position, and which is bridged by advancing rollers, among which gaseous nitrogen is supplied that brushes all sides of the panel. In the treatment workstation, the upper outward section of the belt has a V-shaped path, where the panel is irradiated by an excimer emitter, and which is formed by two rollers in contact with the plane of advancement of the panel, and a roller in lower position, and is bridged by advancing rollers.

An apparatus for matting a coating applied on mainly flat panels includes a cleaning workstation and an excimer treatment workstation where the panels are conveyed by a belt conveyor having an upper outward section and a lower return section. In the cleaning workstation, the upper outward section of the belt conveyor has a V-shaped path, which is formed by two rollers in contact with the plane of advancement of the panel, and a roller in lower position, and which is bridged by advancing rollers, among which gaseous nitrogen is supplied that brushes all sides of the panel. In the treatment workstation, the upper outward section of the belt has a V-shaped path, where the panel is irradiated by an excimer emitter, and which is formed by two rollers in contact with the plane of advancement of the panel, and a roller in lower position, and is bridged by advancing rollers.

A method for removing solvent from a solvent containing sweep gas stream obtained from a fertilizer coating process is disclosed. The method can include directly contacting the solvent containing sweep gas stream with an aqueous composition comprising 50% wt/wt to 100% wt/wt of water, condensing at least a portion of the solvent out of the solvent containing sweep gas stream into the aqueous composition to produce a solvent-enriched aqueous composition and a recovered sweep gas stream, and removing the recovered sweep gas stream from the solvent-enriched aqueous composition.