College
College of Engineering and Polymer Science
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-05 21:20:58
Major
Chemical Engineering
Honors Course
4200 497 - 002
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2022
Abstract
Fouling is a process where particles, proteins, or microorganisms will accumulate onto a material [2]. This can lead to biofilms in medical implants, which can trap and create drug resistant bacteria [5]. Due to this, the study and creation of anti-fouling polymeric films that is stable in aqueous environments is essential. The goal of this study is to utilize APTES to retain the already studied PSS-PEG anti-fouling films. The films that are created is a thermally crosslinked network of the polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) with differing mass fractions (75- 25 and 55-45 PSS-PEG). To retain the polymer film, the APTES (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane) was mixed into the solution. Contact angle measurements analyzed with a simple T-test and visualization through photography and software, ImageJ, were used to measure retention. Generally, the contact angles for APTES treated films were greater than the controls but the p- values proved the averages to not be statistically impactful except for PSS-PEG 75-25 APTES treated films for both Advancing and Receding contact angle measurements and PSS-PEG 55-45 5.0% APTES for receding contact angle measurements. In general, the addition of APTES to the PSS-PEG polymer film led to greater retention but more studies are needed.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Newby
First Reader
Dr. Evans
Second Reader
Dr. Zheng
Honors Faculty Advisor
Dr. Newby
Recommended Citation
CAMERON, BRIAN, "Retention and Stability of Polystyrene Sulfonic Acid and Polyethylene Glycol Anti- Fouling Films with 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane Coupling Agent" (2022). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1527.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1527