Advanced nanocoating technology

Via our proprietary surface modification technology the surface properties of micro- and nanoscale devices can easily be controlled, tuned and manipulated in a versatile and reproducible manner.

Nanocoatings for micro surfaces

Choosing the best material for the fabrication of a micro- or nanodevice is a daunting task. There are many requirements for the mechanical, chemical, and optical properties, and usually the perfect material does not exist. By definition, micro- and nanodevices have a very large surface-to-volume ratio, and hence it is crucial that not only the bulk properties, but also the surface properties of the selected material are optimized for the specific application of the device. The surface properties of a material can be modified by application of a coating on the original surface.

A coating should be thin, so it does not adversely affect the bulk properties and functionality of the coated object. This is especially relevant when coating small structures, such as micro- and nanodevices. This requires extremely thin coatings, which is why Surfix’s nanocoatings, having a thickness between 1 and 100 nm, are ideally suited for this. They allow the coating of a wide range of materials to control essential surface properties such as wettability, protein adsorption, and biorecognition. The nanocoating properties are highly tuneable, which enables the customization of our nanocoating to your device and your application. For more information visit the Applications page.

triggered assembly

Surfix’s nanocoatings are based on chemical surface modification, i.e. the attachment of organic molecules to a substrate by means of chemical bonding. In contrast to other methods for chemical surface modification (well-known examples include chloro- and alkoxysilanes on oxide surfaces and thiols on noble metals), Surfix’s nanocoatings are not based on self-assembly but on a ‘triggered assembly’ process. This offers two important advantages:

strong covalent bonding of the coating to the substrate, leading to robust nanocoatings which combine excellent surface properties with high chemical and thermal stability.

spatial control of the coating process, enabling the fabrication of patterned nanocoatings in a fast, single step process.

Surface Modification Technology

How nanocoatings add value to your device

Surfix’s proprietary Hydroix technology allows the preparation of both 2D and 3D nanocoating architectures with various surface properties. Different options for creating patterned nanocoatings are available for either architecture. Moreover, Surfix is continuously expanding its portfolio of surface modification options. To this end, Surfix is involved in a number of collaborative R&D projects.