US-12624181-B2 - Fluorine-free hydrophobic permeable material

Abstract

An article includes a permeable material having a surface; and a hydrophobic coating on the surface forming a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic coating being free of fluorine, and the hydrophobic surface having a water-contact angle of 95 degrees or greater. The article may be a vent. A method of making the hydrophobic article includes applying a hydrophobic material onto a permeable material; and curing the hydrophobic material to form a hydrophobic surface. The hydrophobic coating may include siloxane.

Inventors

• Stephen K. Sontag
• Mikayla A. Yoder
• Matthew P. Goertz
• Davis B. Moravec

Assignees

• DONALDSON COMPANY, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240329

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An article comprising: a permeable material having a surface; and a hydrophobic coating on the surface forming a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic coating being free of fluorine, and the hydrophobic surface having a water-contact angle of 95 degrees or greater.
2. 2 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic surface has a water contact angle of 100 degrees or greater.
3. 3 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic surface exhibits a roll-off angle of 20 degrees or lower.
4. 4 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic surface exhibits a wetted fraction of 0.96 or smaller in contact with a liquid having a surface tension of 40 mN/m or greater.
5. 5 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the permeable material comprises a phase-inverted membrane.
6. 6 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the surface exhibits a nodular secondary structure.
7. 7 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the permeable material comprises cellulose acetate, PES, or a combination thereof.
8. 8 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic coating is crosslinked.
9. 9 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic coating comprises siloxane.
10. 10 . The article of claim 1 , wherein the article is a permeable membrane.
11. 11 . A vent comprising: a permeable material having a surface; and a hydrophobic coating on the surface forming a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic coating being free of fluorine, and the hydrophobic surface having a water-contact angle of 95 degrees or greater.
12. 12 . The vent of claim 11 , wherein the hydrophobic surface has a water contact angle of 100 degrees or greater.
13. 13 . The vent of claim 11 , wherein the hydrophobic surface exhibits a roll-off angle of 20 degrees or lower.
14. 14 . The vent of claim 11 , wherein the hydrophobic surface exhibits a wetted fraction of 0.96 or smaller in contact with a liquid having a surface tension of 40 mN/m or greater.
15. 15 . The vent of claim 11 , wherein the permeable material comprises a phase-inverted membrane.
16. 16 . The vent of claim 11 , wherein the permeable material comprises cellulose acetate, PES, or a combination thereof.
17. 17 . The vent of claim 11 , wherein the hydrophobic coating is crosslinked.
18. 18 . The vent of claim 11 , wherein the hydrophobic coating comprises siloxane.
19. 19 . The vent of claim 11 , wherein the vent is free of fluorine.
20. 20 . A vented cap comprising: a cap constructed for use on a container; and the vent of claim 11 .

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/456,327, filed Mar. 31, 2023, and of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/612,164, filed Dec. 19, 2023, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. FIELD The present disclosure relates to fluorine-free hydrophobic permeable materials. The present disclosure further relates to fluorine-free hydrophobic permeable membranes. BACKGROUND Many enclosures require venting to an external atmosphere to release waste gas or to relieve a pressure differential. Venting may be necessary as a result of temperature fluctuations, altitude changes, and vapor pressure of contained liquids. Vents, or venting media, equalize pressure by allowing gas to flow through while repelling liquids and solids to protect internal components. Vents and venting media that repel water may have a hydrophobic surface. Typically, such a hydrophobic surface is achieved by using a fluorinated chemical coating. Further improvements with permeable hydrophobic materials are desired. SUMMARY According to an embodiment, an article includes: a permeable material having a surface; and a hydrophobic coating on the surface forming a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic coating being free of fluorine, and the hydrophobic surface having a water-contact angle of 95 degrees or greater. According to an embodiment, a permeable membrane includes: a permeable material having a surface; and a hydrophobic coating on the surface forming a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic coating being free of fluorine, and the hydrophobic surface having a water-contact angle of 95 degrees or greater. According to an embodiment, a permeable membrane includes: a permeable material having a surface; and a hydrophobic coating on the surface forming a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic coating being free of fluorine, and the hydrophobic surface exhibiting a wetted fraction of 0.96 or smaller, 0.95 or smaller, 0.94 or smaller, 0.93 or smaller, 0.92 or smaller, 0.91 or smaller, 0.9 or smaller, 0.8 or smaller, 0.7 or smaller, 0.6 or smaller, 0.5 or smaller with a liquid having a surface tension of 35 mN/m or greater. According to an embodiment, a vent includes: a permeable material having a surface; and a hydrophobic coating on the surface forming a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic coating being free of fluorine, and the hydrophobic surface having a water-contact angle of 95 degrees or greater. According to an embodiment, a vented cap includes: a cap constructed for use on a container; and a vent disposed within the cap, where the vent includes: a permeable material having a surface; a hydrophobic coating on the surface forming a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic coating being free of fluorine, and the hydrophobic surface having a water-contact angle of 95 degrees or greater. The hydrophobic surface may have a water contact angle of 100 degrees or greater, 105 degrees or greater, 110 degrees or greater, 120 degrees or greater, 130 degrees or greater, 135 degrees or greater, 140 degrees or greater, 145 degrees or greater, or 150 degrees or greater. The hydrophobic surface may exhibit a roll-off angle of 20 degrees or lower, 15 degrees or lower, 10 degrees or lower, 8 degrees or lower, or 5 degrees or lower. The hydrophobic surface may exhibit a wetted fraction of 0.96 or smaller, 0.95 or smaller, 0.94 or smaller, 0.93 or smaller, 0.92 or smaller, 0.91 or smaller, 0.9 or smaller, 0.8 or smaller, 0.7 or smaller, 0.6 or smaller, 0.5 or smaller, 0.45 of smaller, or 0.4 or smaller in contact with a liquid having a surface tension of 35 mN/m or greater. The hydrophobic surface may exhibit a wetted fraction of 0.96 or smaller, 0.95 or smaller, 0.94 or smaller, 0.93 or smaller, 0.92 or smaller, 0.91 or smaller, 0.9 or smaller, 0.8 or smaller, 0.7 or smaller, 0.6 or smaller, 0.5 or smaller, 0.4 or smaller, 0.35 or smaller 0.3 or smaller, 0.25 or smaller, or 0.2 or smaller in contact with a liquid having a surface tension of 40 mN/m or greater. According to an embodiment, the permeable material may include a phase-inverted membrane. The permeable material may include cellulose acetate, PES, or a combination thereof. The hydrophobic coating may include siloxane, such as a polyalkylsiloxane, such as polydimethylsiloxane. According to an embodiment, the article or permeable membrane or vent is free of fluorine. According to an embodiment, an article includes: a permeable material having a surface; and a hydrophobic coating on the surface forming a hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic coating being free of fluorine, and the hydrophobic surface having a water-contact angle in a range from 95 degrees to 115 degrees and a wetted fraction in a range of 0.75 to 0.95 in contact with a liquid having a surface tension of 35 mN/m or greater. The permeable material may include PES. The hydrophobic coating may include polyalkylsiloxane. The hydrophobic coati