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High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
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Published on: October 31, 2019

Reversibly switchable wettability.

Bingwei Xin1, Jingcheng Hao

  • 1Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry (Shandong University), Jinan, 250100, PR China.

Chemical Society Reviews
|January 30, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This review explores smart surfaces with switchable wettability using external stimuli and ionic liquids (ILs). These advanced materials reversibly transition between superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic states.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Surface Chemistry
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Surface wettability is governed by chemical composition and topography.
  • Controlling wettability is crucial for advanced material applications.
  • Existing methods often lack reversibility or require complex fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review state-of-the-art research on reversibly switchable wettability.
  • To highlight the role of external stimuli and counterion exchange.
  • To discuss the use of ionic liquids (ILs) and stimuli-responsive films.

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature on surface wettability modification.
  • Analysis of methods employing external stimuli (e.g., light, heat, pH).
  • Examination of ionic liquids and polyelectrolyte films for wettability control.

Main Results:

  • Smart surfaces achieving reversible superhydrophobicity/superhydrophilicity are feasible.
  • Ionic liquids offer 'on-off' systems for tunable wettability.
  • Combination of stimuli-responsive films and micro-/nanostructures is effective.

Conclusions:

  • Reversibly switchable wettability is a significant advancement in surface science.
  • Methods using ILs, additives, and thin films provide tunable surface properties.
  • Open challenges and future research directions are identified.