Stimuli-responsive smart polymeric coatings: An overview

Abstract

Coatings are an important topic within the scientific community, spanning from the ancient to the modern world. Coatings are not only used for decorative purposes but also for functionality, for example, coatings that are resistant to the effects of weathering (i.e., rain, UV light, etc.). Up until present, several coating materials were developed using various types of natural and synthetic materials. The scientific improvements of the modern era have made it easy to create novel coating formulations by mimicking ancient pathways. Recently nonstick, selfcleaning, self-healing, and stimuli-responsive surfaces have attracted special interest in the formulation of smart coating materials. Several attempts were made to synthesize and develop highly efficient smart polymeric coatings from the practical point of view due to the increasing need for smart coatings in modern technologies and industrial applications. Stimuli-responsive smart coatings are also very useful in extending the life of final products, which is also a reason to develop a variety of new coating formulations for industrial purpose. On the other hand, the synthesis of stimuli-responsive smart coatings and maintaining the stability of the coated surfaces under major environmental changes were quite difficult, which necessitated careful selection and synthesis of the coating materials. The applicability of stable stimuli-responsive smart polymeric coating can be extended into various industrial and commercial applications. This chapter covers the stimuli responsiveness of smart polymeric coatings in various applications and their future outlooks within the coating industry as well as present practical applications and necessities of the stimuli-responsive smart polymeric coatings for other industrial applications.