Liquid Adhesion Regulation on Bioinspired Slippery Surfaces: From Theory to Application

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Liquid adhesion control is crucial for microfluidics and various applications.
• Bioinspired slippery surfaces mimic Nepenthes pitcher plants for tunable liquid adhesion.
• External stimuli can regulate liquid adhesion on these engineered surfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advancements in liquid adhesion regulation on bioinspired slippery surfaces.
• To categorize smart regulation modes and multibehavioral liquid manipulation strategies.
• To discuss challenges and future perspectives in the field.

Main Methods:

• Introduction to the theory and design criteria of stable slippery surfaces.
• Summary of characterization methods and influence factors of liquid adhesion.
• Categorization of regulation modes: lubricant phase, thickness, structure, and interactions.

Main Results:

• Four key aspects for smart regulation of liquid adhesion are identified.
• Multibehavioral liquid manipulation strategies (movement, merging, splitting, bouncing, rotating) are detailed.
• Emerging applications include pipetting devices, fog collection, microreactors, biochips, and nanogenerators.

Conclusions:

• Bioinspired slippery surfaces offer significant potential for advanced liquid manipulation.
• Further research is needed to address challenges and unlock new applications.
• Smart regulation of liquid adhesion is key to developing next-generation devices.