Key UC Contact
What We Did
What do smartphone displays, solar cells and electronic circuit boards have in common? They all involve spin coating in their manufacturing process, a technique used to coat flat, rigid surfaces with a functional layer. An international team led by University of Canterbury (UC) Mechanical Engineering Professor Mathieu Sellier is working on extending the applicability of spin coating to deliver a low cost, effective, and reliable way to coat objects with rounded surfaces. “Currently, spin coating is only effective on flat surfaces as it leads to an uneven film thickness on curved ones,” Professor Sellier says. Professor Sellier’s winning idea was first initiated around the dinner table from a fun project to explore the optimal way to rotate a pan to make the perfect pancake. “While this question may appear unrelated, making crêpes is all about applying a thin uniform layer on a surface, just like spin coating. This is a good example of why curiosity-driven research should be encouraged, because it can lead to unforeseen ideas and applications,” Professor Sellier says.
Who Was Involved
UC Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Shayne Gooch, Associate Professor and Director of the Biomolecular Interaction Centre Dr Volker Nock and Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne Scientist Edouard Boujo.
Why It Matters
This new technology has the capability to revolutionise the way certain products are designed and manufactured. For example, it opens the door for the creation of curved solar cells. Spin coating is the cornerstone of many industrial processes, and therefore, the ability to adapt it to curved surfaces could disrupt a range of technologies in fields such as optics, micro-technologies and medical implants. It could also open up a litany of commercialisation opportunities.
Learn More
- Boujo, E., & Sellier, M. (2019). Pancake making and surface coating: Optimal control of a gravity-driven liquid film. Physical Review Fluids, 4(6), 064802
- Duruk S., Boujo E., Sellier M. (2021) Thin Liquid Film Dynamics on a Spinning Spheroid. Fluids, 6(9), 318.
