Recent Advances on Gel Coatings: from Lab to Industry

Abstract

The form of coating endows superwetting, biocompatibility, ionic conductivity and many other advanced functions of gel materials to traditional solids. Recently, many novel strategies on making gel coatings have emerged, targeting on environment adaptability, eco- and user-friendly demands, etc. In this review, we firstly summarize different types of interfacial interaction between gels and substrates. Then, the general principles are raised for preparing gel coatings on diverse solids with robust adhesion. Various practical attributes, such as the oxygen-tolerance, universal adhesion strategies are highlighted. Some promising applications of hydrogel and organogel coatings are mentioned. In the end, the current challenges and outlook of gel coating technology are discussed.