The Department of Defense (DoD) relies on mulitiple-component protective coating systems to maintain operational readiness of aircraft and vehicles. These coatings which are used on ships, aircraft and combat vehicles perform a variety of functions including camouflage and protection from moisture, heat and corrosion. A method to eliminate paint removal via hazardous methods and maintain effective corrosion inhibition via employment of a re-useable coating would provide the DoD with an attractive alternative to current coating technologies. A biomimetics approach to develop this coating is being investigated and focuses on duplicating the unique on-demand adhesion properties of the gecko's foot pad. Rather than relying on the weak van der Waals forces of the gecko's foot pad, strong ionic bonds will be utilized for this project. This new material will be a re-useable and environmentally benign conductive polymer applique (CPA). A pyrrole based monomer functionalized with COOH group, 7-(1H-pyrriol-yl) heptanoic acid, was synthesized and then electrochemically polymerized to serve as the site for ionic bond formation of the applique. The polymerization was performed on aluminum foil cut into 1.5 x1.0 ' coupons which were ultrasonically degreased in TCE solvent for 10 minutes. This was followed by etching using 1.0 N NaOH, for 3 minutes, washing with DI water and drying with nitrogen gas. The resulting aluminum coupons were coated with copper to a thickness of 0.5 microns using CVD to produce a conductive surface. The electropolymerization using the pyrrole COOH monomer (5 mM) was carried out under potentiostatic conditions (1.1 V) in propylene carbonate using EMI-BTI as the supporting electrolyte for 5 minutes on aluminum substrate produced electroactive polymer in bundles of fibers containing growths at their surfaces ranging from 75-125 nm. SEM, EDS, AFM were used to confirm the presense of these growths and the term nano-sprouts was used to characterize them.

Fabrication of conductive polymer nanosprouts via a template-free process for conductive polymer appliques

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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