Surface Modified Materials
Polyethylene is naturally hydrophobic (repels water) and for many applications this level of hydrophobicity is perfectly satisfactory and does not affect the function of the product. However, in many cases it is desirable to alter this property, either to increase hydrophobicity to the make the material super-hydrophobic (or oleophobic), or to reverse it to make the material hydrophilic (attractive to water).
Various options already exist to give hydrophilic properties to porous plastics. The conventional method is to dip the end product in a solution of anionic surfactant then dry it, or to blend the surfactant into the raw material. This is perfectly satisfactory in many cases, but the disadvantage is that over time, the surfactant is dissolved into the surrounding liquid and the hydrophilic property is lost, also possibly contaminating the liquid.
A new technology which solves the above problem, and also allows us to increase the surface hydrophobicity of the porous plastic is now available. By permanently altering the surface chemistry of the porous plastic, a much more robust solution to these challenges has been found. Please contact us for further information on this new product range.
Products: What is Porous Plastic?
