EnRoute Interfaces: Controlling Silicone Interfaces 

EnRoute Interfaces creates bespoke reactive surfactants that are particularly designed to change the interfacial properties of polymeric surfaces: A key focus is silicone elastomers.

Silicone surfaces are exceptionally water repellent, which can be problematic particularly in biomedical applications. The wetting agents developed by EnRoute Interfaces dramatically increase water wetting, with an attendant efficiency in reducing biofouling. Some of the compounds have antimicrobial activity.

Generic Structures

The silicone structures have been tuned to be particularly adapted to silicone environments (n-Wet), or more organic environments (o-Wet). In addition, an evolving series of functional silicones (r-Wet) are being developed that possess organic functionality so that the materials can also act as covalent adhesion promoters.

n-Wet MSDS                                                                                                                             o-Wet MSDS

Bioactivity

Our proprietary surfactants selectively kill against S. aureus, C. albicans and A. brasiliensis.

Applications

The wetting agents are particularly useful for surface wetting applications, and particularly in microfluidics. They may be simply coated onto existing silicone elastomers, or introduced into un-cured fluids and then cured. The resulting interfaces, including in microfluidic channels, are readily water wettable unlike typical silicone elastomers.

New products - Reactive Interfaces

EnRoute is developing a suite of reactive surfactants. In addition to wetting out interfaces, particularly silicone elastomers, the surfactants contain residual reactivity that permit adhesion to both organic and inorganic materials.

References

1. Chen, H., Brook, M. A., Chen, Y. And Sheardown, H., J. Biomaterials Sci., Polym. Ed., 2005, 16, 531-548.
2. Brook, M., A., Wang, Y. and Chen, Y., US Patent Application 20120226001

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