Design Aspects in Vat Photopolymerization Additive Manufacturing of Hydrophobic Surfaces

Hydrophobic surfaces require finely tuned process chains due to the scale, complexity, and patterning methods. For this purpose, vat photopolymerization (VPP) additive manufacturing is a promising method for surface generation; however, together with the fabrication process, the design phase needs to be optimized to achieve the desired surface property. This work presents the influence of the design features of hydrophobic surfaces through multiple studies on simple pillar structures, intrinsic single-unit geometries, and surface deposition on complex substrates. The results showed that depending on the dimensions of single pillar dimensions, wetting properties can extend between the contact angles (CA) of 83°-115.11°. The hydrophobicity was further increased by applying a re-entrant structure, reaching the CA of 115.24°. The surface deposition on the complex substrates significantly increased water droplet adhesion, preventing it from rolling off, which can be beneficial for manifold device protection from the hazardous influence of the environment. In addition, the influence of the surface on the acoustic properties was examined, which showed that the pattern application in the real-life device does not have a detrimental effect on the intrinsic functionality. This study showed that the design phase should be an essential part of the VPP process chain as it significantly influences the wetting properties of the surfaces.