The core mission of the scientists in this article is too develop safer and effective alternatives to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) for non-stick coatings and other applications.
More specifically, their mission is to:
Overcome the limitations of existing PFAS alternatives: They aim to create materials that can repel oil and grease as effectively as conventional PFAS-based materials like Teflon.
Reduce the environmental and health risks associated with PFAS: By developing materials that do not bioaccumulate or persist in the surroundings, they are working to mitigate the “forever chemical” problem.
Achieve high performance without harmful chemicals: Their ultimate goal is to find a substance that outperforms Teflon without using any PFAS at all, but their current work focuses on significantly reducing the risk by using the shortest possible PFAS molecule.
Commercialize their findings: They are open to collaborating with manufacturers to bring their innovative solutions to market.
