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Detachment of water: Light triggered water droplet release from biomimetic honeycomb-structured polymer surfaces

Objective

Inspired by the Stenoccara beetle, the long term vision for this project is the development of biomimetic smart polymer surfaces which can capture water from humid night air and release it upon exposure to the morning sun through a light triggered mechanism. In moving towards this goal, this project will synthesise new honeycomb structured porous films from light sensitive block copolymers. Their unique hierarchical structure on both the micro- and nano-scales will be exploited for the adhesion of water droplets to the surface, and the light sensitive entities will allow switching of the surface properties to trigger droplet detachment.
The project will expand the field of light-responsive surfaces. Firstly, light-switchable honeycomb structured porous films are yet to be reported. Secondly, unique “nanopillar” morphology will be introduced by the degradation of a sacrificial polymer to increase roughness and promote hydrophobic droplet adhesion, which has not been reported for honeycomb films. Thirdly, the light-switchable units will consist of a new class of azobenzenes which can be reversible switched between hydrophobic to hydrophilic using visible rather than UV light, which will open up possible applications where UV switching is precluded.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITE DE PAU ET DES PAYS DE L'ADOUR
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 129 807,00
Address
Avenue de l'Universite
64000 Pau
France

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Region
Nouvelle-Aquitaine Aquitaine Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 129 807,00
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