A Facile All-Solution-Processed Surface with High Water Contact Angle and High Water Adhesive Force

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Developing surfaces with controlled wetting properties is crucial for various applications.
• Superhydrophobic surfaces typically exhibit low adhesion, limiting their use in droplet manipulation.
• There is a need for robust and easily fabricated superhydrophobic surfaces with tunable adhesive forces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a sticky superhydrophobic surface with high water contact angle and adhesive force.
• To investigate the role of polymerization-induced phase separation in surface morphology.
• To demonstrate the potential of the fabricated surface for water droplet transportation.

Main Methods:

• An all-solution-processed method utilizing polymerization-induced phase separation between liquid crystals (LCs) and epoxy resin.
• Fabrication of epoxy microspheres (EMSs) with nanofolds on a substrate surface.
• Characterization of EMS morphology and size distribution using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Main Results:

• The prepared surface achieved a high apparent contact angle of 152.0° and a water adhesive force of 117.6 μN.
• The size of EMSs and consequently wetting properties were controllable by adjusting sample composition and preparation conditions.
• The sticky superhydrophobic surface demonstrated excellent chemical stability and long-term durability.

Conclusions:

• A facile and scalable method for producing sticky superhydrophobic surfaces has been established.
• The developed surfaces show promise for applications requiring controlled water droplet manipulation, such as in microfluidics or self-cleaning technologies.
• This approach offers a new pathway for designing advanced functional surfaces with tunable adhesive properties.