Self-Replenishing Surfaces

1. T. Dikić², 
2. W. Ming³, 
3. R. A. T. M. van Benthem⁴, 
4. A. C. C. Esteves⁵, 
5. G. de With^1,*

Article first published online: 14 JUN 2012

DOI: 10.1002/adma.201200807

Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Damaged surfaces self-replenish their chemical composition by the spontaneous re-orientation of functional groups chemically bonded to the polymer network. The repair of the surface chemistry leads to the recovery of surface functionality. This self-replenishing approach is suitable to recover many surface-related properties and constitutes a major breakthrough in extending the service life-time of functional materials.