Eco-Friendly Water Transfer Printing Free of Primers and Activators

Water transfer printing (WTP) is popular in several industries due to its low cost and ability to coat complicated and heat-sensitive surfaces. However, the primers and activators used in WTP release volatile organic compounds that pollute the environment, and the transferred patterns may suffer from deformation. Herein, an eco-friendly WTP method free of primers and activators was developed by using multilayered films consisting of polyvinyl alcohol films, a pattern, and a hydrophobic supramolecular polymer with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) segments (PDMS-PU). PDMS-PU acted as a pressure-sensitive adhesive to adhere the patterns to the transfer objects, thus requiring no primer or activator. Pattern deformation was prevented by coating PDMS-PU on the patterns. Due to the strong adhesion of PDMS-PU, the eco-friendly WTP method could be applied to common substrates including glass, stainless steel, and polyurethane leather. The patterned films transferred by the eco-friendly WTP were hydrophobic and self-healing at room temperature, which prolonged their lifespan. Because it is environmentally friendly and produces hydrophobic and self-healing patterns, the primer/activator-free WTP method described here is superior to conventional methods.