Creating Hydrophobic Foils From Biopolymer Blends Using Mechanical Microimprinting

The surface topography of biodegradable polymer foils is modified by mechanical imprinting on a submillimeter length scale. The created patterns strongly influence the wetting behavior and allow the preparation of hydrophobic surfaces with controlled solid-liquid interaction. A detailed analysis of anisotropic surface patterns reveals that the observed effect arises from a combination of topographical and compositional changes that are introduced to the surface. As a main result it is found that an individual combination of material and structure is required for the production of water-repellent biopolymer foils that are highly attractive for packaging applications.

Automated summary

The surface topography of biodegradable polymer foils is modified by mechanical imprinting, leading to the creation of patterns that strongly affect wetting behavior and allow the preparation of controllable hydrophobic surfaces. Analysis shows that the observed effects are a result of combining topographical and compositional changes in the surface. Importantly, it is found that a specific combination of material and structure is necessary to produce water-repellent biopolymer foils suitable for packaging applications.