Nanoscale fletching of liquid-like polydimethylsiloxane with single perfluorocarbons enables sustainable oil-repellency

Samuel Au, Jeremy R. Gauthier, Boran Kumral, Tobin Filleter, Scott Mabury and Kevin Golovin ()
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Samuel Au: University of Toronto
Jeremy R. Gauthier: University of Toronto
Boran Kumral: University of Toronto
Tobin Filleter: University of Toronto
Scott Mabury: University of Toronto
Kevin Golovin: University of Toronto

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Oil repellency is essential for enabling self-cleaning, anti-soiling and stain-repelling properties, which has broad application in industries liked textiles, healthcare and electronics. While per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exhibits strong oleophobicity, their environmental and health risks have led to prohibition on long-chain PFAS ( ≥ C8) and restriction on short-chain PFAS (C4, C6). However, there are few alternative materials demonstrating comparable oil repellency. Here, we introduce a novel method to fletch polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) brushes with ultrashort PFAS (singe -CF3, the least toxic PFAS), achieving oil repellency similar to short-chain PFAS while drastically reducing the fluorine content. This work highlights that liquid-like molecular design, rather than chain length, can enable sustainable oil repellency, facilitating a smoother transition away from PFAS reliance.

Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-62119-9

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62119-9

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