Deformation-dependent gel surface topography due to the elastocapillary and osmocapillary effects

Actively tuning surface topography is crucial for the design of smart surfaces with stimuli-responsive friction, wetting, and adhesion properties. This paper studies how elastocapillary deformation and osmocapillary phase separation can lead to rich deformation-dependent surface topography in polymeric gels. In a purely elastic material, stretching always flattens the surface due to the Poisson effect. We show that stretching can roughen the surface due to the elastocapillary and osmocapillary effects. The roughening can be tuned by the gel stiffness, the gel osmotic pressure, the deformation mode, and the initial amplitude of surface roughness. The rich deformation-dependent behavior of gel surface topography points to a new direction in designing smart surfaces.