Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
09:22
Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
19.1K
Adaptive Surfaces with Stimuli-Responsive Wettability: From Tailoring to Applications.
Huijuan Shao1, Kun Yin1, Ningyuan Xu2
1Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, P. R. China.
ACS Nano
|February 13, 2025
Summary
Adaptive surfaces with tunable wettability are engineered using stimuli-sensitive materials. This review covers their development, stimuli-responsive mechanisms, and applications in droplet manipulation and separation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Science
- Chemistry
Background:
- Adaptive surfaces with tunable wettability are crucial for diverse applications.
- Stimuli-sensitive materials enable reversible control over surface properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive review of adaptive surfaces with stimuli-responsive wettability.
- To discuss fundamental theories, triggers, and applications of these surfaces.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on adaptive surfaces.
- Analysis of stimuli-responsive mechanisms (magnetism, photo, temperature, pH, electricity, gas).
- Exploration of applications in droplet manipulation, oil-water separation, and water harvesting.
Main Results:
- Detailed overview of various stimuli-responsive triggers and their effect on wettability.
- Discussion of surfaces responding to single, dual, or multiple stimuli.
- Highlighting key applications and their performance.
Conclusions:
- Adaptive surfaces offer significant potential for advanced applications.
- Challenges remain in improving tunable wettability, with future research focusing on solutions and new directions.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Surface Tension
Surface tension is defined as the force per unit length (γ) acting along the surface of a liquid. It arises due to strong intermolecular forces of attraction. A molecule located inside the bulk of the liquid is surrounded by other molecules and experiences equal forces in all directions. However, a molecule at the surface experiences unbalanced forces because there are more neighboring molecules below than above. This creates a net inward force that pulls surface molecules toward the interior,...
01:27Surface Active Agents
Surfactants, named for their behavior at interfaces, positively adsorb at the interfaces of two phases, reducing interfacial tension. Their versatility as emulsifiers, detergents, and foaming agents stems from this ability. Surfactants, often termed amphiphiles, share the property of amphipathy, with molecules having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions. The hydrophilic part is called the head, and the hydrophobic part, including an elongated alkyl substituent, forms the tail.Surfactants...
01:21Drying Shrinkage
When hardened concrete is exposed to air with a relative humidity of less than 100 percent, it begins to lose the free water within its capillaries. As this water evaporates, the water initially adsorbed onto the calcium silicate hydrates migrates towards these now empty spaces and eventually evaporates as well. Over time, as more water leaves, the volume of the concrete decreases, a phenomenon known as drying shrinkage.
A portion of this drying shrinkage can be reversed; if the concrete is...
A portion of this drying shrinkage can be reversed; if the concrete is...