Two-Photon Polymerization of Butterfly Wing Scale Inspired Surfaces with Anisotropic Wettability

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Science
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Butterfly wings exhibit anisotropic liquid wettability due to microstructural arrangements.
• This natural property is crucial for applications like self-cleaning and anti-icing.
• Additive manufacturing offers potential for replicating these bioinspired surfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate synthetic surfaces mimicking Morpho aega butterfly wings using two-photon polymerization.
• To investigate the relationship between structure, resolution, and anisotropic wettability performance.
• To explore the potential for fluidic manipulation using these bioinspired surfaces.

Main Methods:

• Two-photon polymerization was used to fabricate artificial butterfly wing scales.
• Optimization of laser scanning strategy and objective lens movement path enhanced fabrication quality.
• Contact angle measurements and anisotropic wettability investigations were performed on fabricated surfaces.

Main Results:

• Fabricated surfaces demonstrated tunable anisotropic wettability.
• Geometrical parameters and spatial arrangement of artificial scales influenced droplet motion.
• A reversed wettability phenomenon was observed compared to natural butterfly wings.

Conclusions:

• Synthetic surfaces with anisotropic wettability can be fabricated using two-photon polymerization.
• Tuning microstructural design allows for control over liquid droplet behavior.
• These findings pave the way for next-generation fluid-controllable interfaces.