Claims
- 1. A method of coating a non-polymeric substrate, comprising:
immersing a surface portion of a non-polymeric substrate in a first phase comprising at least one polymeric precursor; then withdrawing said non-polymeric substrate from said first phase into a distinct second phase so that said at least one polymeric precursor is deposited on said surface portion; and then subjecting the non-polymeric substrate to conditions sufficient to polymerize the at least one polymeric precursor and form a polymerized coating.
- 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second phase comprises carbon dioxide.
- 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second phase is a gas.
- 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first phase is homogeneous.
- 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first phase is heterogeneous.
- 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said non-polymeric substrate is a solid article.
- 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one polymeric precursor is selected from the group consisting of acrylic monomers, polyfunctional small molecules, multifunctional monomers, isocyanate-containing precursors, lipids, fatty acids, and combinations thereof.
- 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one polymeric precursor is methyl methacrylate.
- 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said subjecting step is performed in-situ.
- 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said subjecting step is performed ex-situ.
- 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first phase further comprises a biological material, and wherein said biological material is present within said polymerized coating.
- 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said biological material is selected from the group consisting of proteins, peptides, amino acids, nucleic acids, cellular material, lipids, fatty acids, bacteria, viruses, and combinations thereof.
- 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said non-polymeric substrate comprises a porous material, and wherein said non-polymeric substrate and said polymerized coating are present in the form of an integral composite structure.
- 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the porous material is selected from the group consisting of filler, powder, fibers, granules, metal particles, and combinations thereof.
- 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first phase further comprises a viscosity modifier.
- 16. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first phase further comprises a surface-tension modifier.
- 17. The method according to claim 1, wherein said withdrawing step is carried out by withdrawing said non-polymeric substrate from said first phase into an atmosphere comprising carbon dioxide at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure.
- 18. The method according to claim 1, wherein said withdrawing step is carried out by withdrawing said non-polymeric substrate from said first phase into an atmosphere comprising carbon dioxide at a pressure of 10 to 10,000 psi.
- 19. The method according to claim 1, wherein said withdrawing step is carried out by withdrawing said non-polymeric substrate from said first phase into an atmosphere comprising carbon dioxide, said method further comprising the step of:
maintaining a differential partial pressure of carbon dioxide between said first phase and said atmosphere of between about 10 and 400 mm Hg.
- 20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the polymerized coating comprises at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of acrylate polymers, epoxies, polyisocyanates, polyurethanes, a sol-gel precursor, a polyimide, polyesters, polycarbonates, polyamides, polyolefins, polystyrene, acrylic latex epoxy resins, novolac resins, resole resins, polyurea, polyurea urethanes, polysaccharides, fluoropolymers, silicone resins, amino resins, poly(ethylene naphthalate), and combinations thereof.
- 21. The method according to claim 1, wherein said subjecting step is carried out in the presence of an initiator.
- 22. A method of coating a non-polymeric substrate, comprising:
immersing a surface portion of a non-polymeric substrate in a first phase comprising at least one polymeric precursor and a supercritical fluid or liquid that is a gas at standard temperature and pressure; then withdrawing said non-polymeric substrate from said first phase into a distinct second phase consisting essentially of carbon dioxide so that said at least one polymeric precursor is deposited on said surface portion; and then subjecting the non-polymeric substrate to conditions sufficient to polymerize the at least one polymeric precursor and form a polymerized coating.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a divisional of Ser. No. 10/207,294 filed Jul. 29, 2002, allowed, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/589,557 filed Jun. 7, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,921, which is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 09/188,053 filed Nov. 6, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,565, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10207294 |
Jul 2002 |
US |
Child |
10641422 |
Aug 2003 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09589557 |
Jun 2000 |
US |
Child |
10207294 |
Jul 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09188053 |
Nov 1998 |
US |
Child |
09589557 |
Jun 2000 |
US |