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Published on: February 11, 2020
Bioinspired Design of Three-Dimensional Ordered Tribrachia-Post Arrays with Re-entrant Geometry for Omniphobic and
Yi Wu1, Shuxue Zhou1, Bo You1
1Department of Materials Science and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Advanced Coatings Research Center of Ministry of Education of China, Fudan University , Shanghai 200433, China.
Researchers developed a novel bioinspired coating that mimics springtail insect skin for superhydrophobic and oleophobic surfaces. This durable, self-healing material offers practical applications in self-cleaning and liquid transport technologies.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Omniphobic coatings are crucial for various applications but face fabrication challenges.
- Existing methods often lack durability and self-healing properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and fabricate novel three-dimensional (3D) tribrachia-post arrays with re-entrant geometry (3D TPARG) for omniphobic polymer surfaces.
- To achieve superhydrophobic and oleophobic properties with enhanced durability and self-healing capabilities.
Main Methods:
- Bioinspired design mimicking springtail insect skin.
- Nanofabrication of 3D ordered polymer arrays using silica colloidal templates.
- Control of temperature and time for template treatment to achieve re-entrant geometries.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated 3D TPARG polymer surfaces with re-entrant geometries.
- Demonstrated excellent and self-healing superhydrophobicity and oleophobicity against various environmental stressors (temperature, acids, alkalis, mechanical damage).
- Liquid-infused surfaces maintained good liquid-sliding ability for water and oils.
Conclusions:
- The 3D TPARG strategy offers a viable approach for creating robust omniphobic polymer coatings.
- This technology has potential applications in self-cleaning surfaces, liquid transport, and antifouling materials.
