Technology Area: Surface Coatings

Technologies 3

• Nanoarchitectures for air purification
  Illnesses caused by air pollution are the third-leading cause of death in developing nations, and over 5 million people worldwide die every year from air pollution exposure. Catalytic converters, the most widely used air purification devices, convert the toxic gases and pollutants produced by fuel combustion into benign chemicals before the exhaust is released into...
• Tethered Liquid Perfluorocarbon (TLP), a non-stick coating for medical devices
  Every device implanted in the body or in contact with flowing blood faces two critical challenges that can threaten the life of the patient it is meant to help: blood clotting and bacterial infection. To confront this challenge, Wyss Institute researchers created a super-repellent, Thin Layer Perfluorocarbon (TLP) coating specifically designed to prevent clot formation...
• SLIPS (Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces)
  The need for an inexpensive, super-repellent surface cuts across a vast swath of societal sectors—from refrigeration and architecture, to medical devices and consumer products. Most state-of-the-art liquid repellent surfaces designed in the last decade are modeled after lotus leaves, which are extremely hydrophobic due to their rough, waxy surface and the physics of their natural...

News 35

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• Research Spotlights A multifunctional, multiscale, reconfigurable surface
  June 25, 2018
• Research Spotlights Drawing inspiration from plants and animals to restore tissue
  March 19, 2018
• Video/​Animation Towards a better catalyst
  March 8, 2018

Multimedia 9

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  Video/Animation
  FLIPS: Ferrofluid-Containing Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces
  As a magnetic field is applied and moved, the ferrofluid component of FLIPS responds dynamically, allowing the surface to be endlessly reconfigured. Credit: Harvard SEAS

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  Video/Animation
  Catalytic Nanoarchitectures for Clean Air
  The Wyss Institute is developing a new type of coating for catalytic converters that, inspired by the nanoscale structure of a butterfly’s wing, can dramatically reduce the cost and improve the performance of air purification technologies, making them more accessible to all.  Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University  

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  Video/Animation
  Fouling Marine Fouling
  Marine fouling occurs when organisms attach themselves to underwater objects like boats, rope, pipes and building structures. Mussels are one of the biggest culprits. Once attached, they are difficult to remove, leading to operational downtime, increased energy use and damage. Paints and coatings are currently used to prevent marine fouling, but are frequently toxin-based and not...

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  Video/Animation
  Efficient Recovery of Stem Cell Sheets
  See in this video how an intact sheet of mesenchymal stem cells, stained with a violet dye, can be lifted off the infused polymer substrate in the culture dish using a filter paper and transferred to a new surface. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

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  Video/Animation
  Fluid Gate
  In this video, the fluid-based gating mechanism separates gas and water. The fluid-filled pores system leverages pressurization to control the opening and closing of its liquid gates, making it extremely precise at separating mixed materials. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

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  Video/Animation
  Bioinspired Blood Repellent Coating
  In this video, Wyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, Core Faculty member Joanna Aizenberg, Staff Scientist Dan Leslie and Postdoctoral Fellow Anna Waterhouse explain how a coating they developed using FDA-approved materials could prevent blood clotting in medical devices without the use of blood thinners. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University