ELECTROSPRAYING/ELECTROSPINNING OF POLY(γ-STEARYL-LGLUTAMATE):FORMATION OF SURFACES WITH SUPERHYDROPHOBICITY

Electrospraying/electrospinning of poly(γ-stearyl-L-glutamate) (PSLG) was investigated on a series solutions with different concentrations in chloroform.Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and attenuated Iotal reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR/ATR) were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the electrosprayed/electrospun polypeptide mats.It was found that electrospraying of PSLG with concentrations lower than 16 wt% afforded beads,while microfibers cou...

Triboelectric‘electrostatic tweezers'for manipulating droplets on lubricated slippery surfaces prepared by femtosecond laser processing

The use of‘Electrostatic tweezers'is a promising tool for droplet manipulation,but it faces many limitations in manipulating droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces.Here,we achieve noncontact and multifunctional droplet manipulation on Nepenthes-inspired lubricated slippery surfaces via triboelectric electrostatic tweezers(TETs).The TET manipulation of droplets on a slippery surface has many advantages over electrostatic droplet manipulation on a superhydrophobic surface.The electrostatic field induces the redistribution of the charges inside the neutral droplet,which causes the triboelectric charged rod to drive the droplet to move forward under the electrostatic force.Positively or negatively charged droplets can also be driven by TET based on electrostatic attraction and repulsion.TET enables us to manipulate droplets under diverse conditions,including anti-gravity climb,suspended droplets,corrosive liquids,low-surface-tension liquids(e.g.ethanol with a surface tension of 22.3 mN·m^(-1)),different droplet volumes(from 100 nl to 0.5 ml),passing through narrow slits,sliding over damaged areas,on various solid substrates,and even droplets in an enclosed system.Various droplet-related applications,such as motion guidance,motion switching,droplet-based microreactions,surface cleaning,surface defogging,liquid sorting,and cell labeling,can be easily achieved with TETs.

Superhydrophobic Surface-Assisted Preparation of Microspheres and Supraparticles and Their Applications

Superhydrophobic surface(SHS) has been well developed, as SHS renders the property of minimizing the water/solid contact interface. Water droplets deposited onto SHS with contact angles exceeding 150°, allow them to retain spherical shapes, and the low adhesion of SHS facilitates easy droplet collection when tilting the substrate. These characteristics make SHS suitable for a wide range of applications. One particularly promising application is the fabrication of microsphere and supraparticle materials. SHS offers a distinct advantage as a universal platform capable of providing customized services for a variety of microspheres and supraparticles. In this review, an overview of the strategies for fabricating microspheres and supraparticles with the aid of SHS, including cross-linking process, polymer melting,and droplet template evaporation methods, is first presented. Then, the applications of microspheres and supraparticles formed onto SHS are discussed in detail, for example, fabricating photonic devices with controllable structures and tunable structural colors, acting as catalysts with emerging or synergetic properties, being integrated into the biomedical field to construct the devices with different medicinal purposes, being utilized for inducing protein crystallization and detecting trace amounts of analytes. Finally,the perspective on future developments involved with this research field is given, along with some obstacles and opportunities.

Superhydrophobic surface of Mg alloys:A review

In the present review,the formation of superhydrophobic(SHP)structures on the surface of Mg alloys was investigated.Different methods including hydrothermal technique,chemical and electrochemical deposition,conversion and polymer coating,and etching routes were discussed.The superhydrophobicity could form on the surface of Mg alloys by the application of different chemical,electrochemical,and physical methods followed by the immersion of these alloys in the solution containing modifying agents including fatty acids or long-chain molecules.The formed morphology,composition,and contact angle were reported and the effect of synthesis route on these characteristics was reviewed.

Synthesis of Biomimetic Superhydrophobic Surface through Electrochemical Deposition on Porous Alumina

The superhydrophobicity of plant leaves is a benefit of the hierarchical structures of their surfaces. These structures have been imitated in the creation of synthetic surfaces. In this paper, a novel process for fabrication of biomimetic hierarchical structures by electrochemical deposition of a metal on porous alumina is described. An aluminum specimen was anodically oxidized to obtain a porous alumina template, which was used as an electrode to fabricate a surface with micro structures through electrochemical deposition of a metal such as nickel and copper after the enlargement of pores. Astonishingly, a hier- archical structure with nanometer pillars and micrometer clusters was synthesized in the pores of the template. The nanometer pillars were determined by the nanometer pores. The lbrmation of micrometer clusters was related to the thin walls of the pores and the crystallization of the metal on a flat surface. From the as-prepared biomimetic surfaces, lotus-leaf-like superhydrophobic surfaces with nickel and copper deposition were achieved.

Anti⁃icing/De⁃icing Mechanism and Application Progress of Bio⁃inspired Surface for Aircraft

Icing on the surface of aircraft will not only aggravate its quality and affect flight control,but even cause safety accidents,which is one of the important factors restricting all-weather flight.Bio-inspired anti-icing surfaces have gained great attention recently due to their low-hysteresis,non-stick properties,slow nucleation rate and low ice adhesion strength.These bio-inspired anti-icing surfaces,such as superhydrophobic surfaces,slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces and quasi-liquid film surfaces,have realized excellent anti-icing performance at various stages of icing.However,for harsh environment,there are still many problems and challenges.From the perspective of bioinspiration,the mechanism of icing nucleation,liquid bounce and ice adhesion has been reviewed together with the application progress and bottleneck issues about anti-icing in view of the process of icing.Subsequently,the reliability and development prospect of active,passive and active-passive integrated anti-icing technology are discussed,respectively.

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surfaces on Aluminum Alloy Via Electrodeposition of Copper Followed by Electrochemical Modification

Superhydrophobic aluminum surfaces have been prepared by means of electrodeposition of copper on aluminum surfaces, followed by electrochemical modification using stearic acid organic molecules. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) images show that the electrodeposited copper films follow "island growth mode" in the form of microdots and their number densities increase with the rise of the negative deposition potentials. At an electrodeposition potential of-0.2 V the number density of the copper microdots are found to be 4.5×104cm^(-2)that are increased to 2.9×105cm^(-2)at a potential of-0.8 V. Systematically, the distances between the microdots are found to be reduced from 26.6 μm to 11.03 μm with the increase of negative electrochemical potential from-0.2 V to-0.8 V. X-ray diffraction(XRD) analyses have confirmed the formation of copper stearate on the stearic acid modified copper films. The roughness of the stearic acid modified electrodeposited copper films is found to increase with the increase in the density of the copper microdots. A critical copper deposition potential of-0.6 V in conjunction with the stearic acid modification provides a surface roughness of 6.2 μm with a water contact angle of 157?, resulting in superhydrophobic properties on the aluminum substrates.

Simple Fabrication of Hierarchical Micro/Nanostructure Superhydrophobic Surface with Stable and Superior Anticorrosion Silicon Steel via Laser Marking Treatment

To improve the weak corrosion resistance of silicon steel to acid solution and alkaline solution with high temperature,a stable hierarchical micro/nanostructure superhydrophobic surface with myriad irregular micro-scale hump and sheet-like nanostructure was successfully prepared on silicon steel by a simple,efficient and facile operation in large-area laser marking treatment.The morphology,composition,wettability of the as-prepared surface were studied.The superhydrophobic performance of the surface was investigated as well.Additionally,the corrosion resistance of the superhydrophobic surface to acidic solutions at room temperature and alkaline solutions at high temperature (80 ℃) was carefully explored.The corrosion resistance mechanism was clarified.Moreover,considering the practical application of the surface in the future,the hardness of the hierarchical micro/nanostructure superhydrophobic surface was studied.The experimental results indicate that the hierarchical micro/nanostructure surface with texture spacing of 100 μm treated at laser scanning speed of 100 mms/ presents superior superhydrophobicity after decreasing surface energy.The contact angle can be as high as 156.6°.Additionally,the superhydrophobic surface provide superior and stable anticorrosive protection for silicon steel in various corrosive environments.More importantly,the prepared structure of the surface shows high hardness,which ensures that the surface of the superhydrophobic surface cannot be destroyed easily.The surface is able to maintain great superhydrophobic performance when it suffers from slight impacting and abrasion.

Impact of Drops on Non-wetting Biomimetic Surfaces

We have carried out an experimental study of liquid drop impact on superhydrophobic substrates covered by a carpet of chemically coated nano-wires.The micro-structure of the surface is similar to some biological ones(Lotus leaf for example).In this situation the contact angle can then be considered as equal to 180 degrees,with no hysteresis.Due to its initial inertia,the drop experiences a flattening phase after it hits the surface,taking the shape of a pancake.Once it reaches its maximal lateral extension,the drop begins to retract and bounces back.We have extracted the lateral extension of the drop,and we propose a model that explains the trend.We find a limit initial velocity beyond which the drop protrudes into the nano-wire carpet.We discuss the relevance of practical issues in terms of self-cleaning surfaces or spray-cooling.

Recent advances in preparation of metallic superhydrophobic surface by chemical etching and its applications

In the past few decades,inspired by the superhydrophobic surfaces(SHPS)of animals and plants such as lotus leaves,rose petals,legs of water striders,and wings of butterflies,preparing metal materials with metallic SHPS(MSHPS)have attracted great research interest,due to the great prospect in practical applications.To obtain SHPS on conventional metal materials,it is necessary to construct rough surface,followed by modification with low surface energy substances.In this paper,the action mechanism and the current research status of MSHPS were reviewed through the following aspects.Firstly,the model of wetting theory was presented,and then the progress in MSHPS preparation through chemical etching method was discussed.Secondly,the applications of MSHPS in self-cleaning,anti-icing,corrosion resistance,drag reduction,oil-water separation,and other aspects were introduced.Finally,the challenges encountered in the present application of MSHPS were summarized,and the future research interests were discussed.

Fabrication of Stable Superhydrophobic Cupric Hydroxide Surface with Hierarchical Structure on Copper Substrate

Cupric hydroxide films with a new hierarchical architecture consisting of beautiful nanotubes and nanoflowers were directly fabricated on copper substrate via a solution-immersion process at a constant temperature of 23 ℃. Stable superhydrophobic Cu（OH）2 surface was obtained after Cu（OH）2 films were modified with hydrolyzed 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane （CsH4CI3F13Si, FOTMS）. The surface morphology and composition of the film were studied using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, respectively. Result shows that the surface of Cu（OH）2 films directly grown on copper substrate was hydrophilic, whereas the modified Cu（OH）2 films exhibited the superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle （CA） of about 160.8°, as well as a small sliding angle （SA） of about 1°. The special hierarchical structure, along with the slow surface energy leads to the high superhydrophobicity of the surface.

Application of Superhydrophobic Surface on Boiling Heat Transfer Characteristics of Nanofluids

Boiling heat transfer is a mode using the phase change of working medium to strengthen the heat exchange due to its good heat exchange capability,and it is widely used in heat exchange engineering.Nanofluids have been used in the direction of enhanced heat transfer for their superior thermophysical property.The wetting,spreading and ripple phenomena of superhydrophobic surfaces widely exist in nature and daily life.It has great application value for engineering technology.In this article,the boiling heat exchange characteristics of nanofluids on superhydrophobic surface are numerically studied.It was found that with the increase of superheating degree,the steam volume ratio of unmodified heated surface increases to saturation,while the steam volume and evaporation ratio of modified superhydrophobic surface increase firstly and then decrease.At the same time,bubbles are generated and accumulated more fully on superhydrophobic surface.It was also found that nanofluids with low viscosity are more affected by superhydrophobic surface characteristics,and the increase is more significant with high superheating degree,and the superhydrophobic surface is beneficial to enhancing boiling heat exchange.Compared with the simulation results,it could be concluded that the boiling heat exchange performance of CuO-water nano-fluids on the modified superhydrophobic surface is better than that of CuO-ethylene glycol nanofluids under high superheating degree.

Fabrication of superhydrophilic surface on copper substrate by electrochemical deposition and sintering process

Superhydrophilic surfaces were fabricated on copper substrates by an electrochemical deposition and sintering process. Superhydrophobic surfaces were prepared by constructing micro/nano-structure on copper substrates through an electrochemical deposition method. Conversion from superhydrophobic to superhydrophilic was obtained via a suitable sintering process. After reduction sintering, the contact angle of the superhydrophilic surfaces changed from 155° to 0°. The scanning electron microscope （SEM） images show that the morphology of superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces looks like corals and cells respectively. The chemical composition and crystal structure of these surfaces were examined using energy dispersive spectrometry （EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The results show that the main components on superhydrophobic surfaces are Cu, Cu2O and CuO, while the superhydrophilic surfaces are composed of Cu merely. The crystal structure is more inerratic and the grain size becomes bigger after the sintering. The interracial strength of the superhydrophilic surfaces was investigated, showing that the interfacial strength between superhydrophilic layer and copper substrate is considerably high.

Synergistically biomimetic platform that enables droplets to be self-propelled

Droplet transport still faces numerous challenges,such as a limited transport distance,large volume loss,and liquid contamination.Inspired by the principle of‘synergistic biomimetics’,we propose a design for a platform that enables droplets to be self-propelled.The orchid leaf-like three-dimensional driving structure provides driving forces for the liquid droplets,whereas the lotus leaf-like superhydrophobic surface prevents liquid adhesion,and the bamboo-like nodes enable long-distance transport.During droplet transport,no external energy input is required,no fluid adhesion or residue is induced,and no contamination or mass loss of the fluid is caused.We explore the influence of various types and parameters of wedge structures on droplet transportation,the deceleration of droplet speed at nodal points,and the distribution of internal pressure.The results indicate that the transport platform exhibits insensitivity to pH value and temperature.It allows droplets to be transported with varying curvatures in a spatial environment,making it applicable in tasks like target collection,as well as load,fused,anti-gravity,and long-distance transport.The maximum droplet transport speed reached(58±5)mm·s^(−1),whereas the transport distance extended to(136±4)mm.The developed platform holds significant application prospects in the fields of biomedicine and chemistry,such as high-throughput screening of drugs,genomic bioanalysis,microfluidic chip technology for drug delivery,and analysis of biological samples.

Ultrafast laser-chemical modification hybrid fabrication of hydrostatic bearings with a superhydrophobicity solid-liquid interface

Oil film vortex severely reduces the stability of hydrostatic bearings. A solid-liquid interface with drag and slip properties can weaken the oil film vortex of the bearing. Here, a combined picosecond laser ablation and chemical modification method is proposed to prepare surfaces with microbulge array structure on 6061 aluminum alloy substrates. Because of the low surface energy of the perfluorododecyltriethoxysilane modification and the bulge geometry of the microbulge array structure, the surface shows excellent superhydrophobicity. The optimum contact angle in air for water is 164°, and that for oil is 139°. Two surfaces with “lotus-leaf effect” and “rose-petal effect” were obtained by controlling the processing parameters. The drag reduction properties of superhydrophobic surfaces were systematically investigated with slip lengths of 22.26 and 36.25 μm for deionized water and VG5 lubricant, respectively. In addition, the superhydrophobic surface exhibits excellent mechanical durability and thermal stability. The proposed method provides a new idea for vortex suppression in hydrostatic bearings and improves the stability of bearings in high-speed operation.

Modeling Superhydrophobic Contact Angles and Wetting Transition

It is well known that surface roughness has a very important effect on superhydrophobicity.The Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models,which correspond to the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting respectively,are currently primary instructions for designing superhydrophobic surfaces.However,the particular drop shape that a drop exhibits might depend on how it is formed. A water drop can occupy multiple equilibrium states,which relate to different local minimal energy.In some cases,both equilibrium states can even co-exist on a same substrate.Thus the apparent contact angles may vary and have different values.We discuss how the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations determine the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting theoretically. Contact angle analysis on hierarchical surface structure and contact angle hysteresis has been put specific attention.In particular, we study the energy barrier of transition from Cassie-Baxter state to Wenzel state,based on existing achievement by previous researchers,to determine the possibility of the transition and how it can be interpreted.It has been demonstrated that surface roughness and geometry will influence the energy required for a drop to get into equilibrium,no matter it is homogeneous or heterogeneous wetting.

Laser-induced jigsaw-like graphene structure inspired by Oxalis corniculata Linn.leaf

The laser scribing of polyimide(PI, Kapton) film is a new, simple and effective method for graphene preparation. Moreover,the superhydrophobic surface modification can undoubtedly widen the application fields of graphene. Herein, inspired by the hydrophobic and self-cleaning properties of natural Oxalis corniculata Linn. leaves, we propose a novel bionic manufacturing method for superhydrophobic laser-induced graphene(LIG). By tailoring the geometric parameters(size, roughness and height/area ratio) and chemical composition, the three-dimensional(3D) multistage LIG, i.e., with micro-jigsaw-like and porous structure, can deliver a static water contact angle(WCA) of 153.5° ± 0.6°, a water sliding angle(WSA) of 2.5° ±0.5°, and great superhydrophobic stability lasting for 100 days(WCAs ≈ 150°). This outstanding water repellency is achieved by the secondary structure of jigsaw-like LIG, a porous morphology that traps air layers at the solid–liquid interface. The robust self-cleaning and anti-stick functions of 3D bionic and multistage LIG are demonstrated to confirm its great potential in wearable electronics.

Controlling the Cassie-to-Wenzel Transition: an Easy Route towards the Realization of Tridimensional Arrays of Biological Objects

In this paper we provide evidence that the Cassie-to-Wenzel transition, despite its detrimental effects on the wetting properties of superhydrophobic surfaces, can be exploited as an effective micro-fabrication strategy to obtain highly ordered arrays of biological objects. To this purpose we fabricated a patterned surface wetted in the Cassie state, where we deposited a droplet containing genomic DNA. We observed that, when the droplet wets the surface in the Cassie state, an array of DNA filaments pinned on the top edges between pillars is formed. Conversely, when the Cassie-to-Wenzel transition occurs, DNA can be pinned at different height between pillars. These results open the way to the realization of tridimensional arrays of biological objects.

Rational design of robust and transparent superrepellent surfaces for long-term marine antifouling

Superhydrophobic surfaces have demonstrated exceptional efficacy in combatting biofouling contaminations of optical devices and equipment in marine applications. However, the fabrication of highly transparent superhydrophobic materials remains a formidable challenge due to the inherent trade-off between surface roughness for superhydrophobicity and optical transparency.Herein, we design a robust and transparent superhydrophobic coating(Si-POSS) embedded silica nanoparticles(200 nm) with fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes(F-POSS) and zinc pyrithione(ZPT). The Si-POSS coating exhibits excellent water repellence toward diverse liquids and optical transmittance exceeding 90% in the visible spectrum. Moreover, the Si-POSS coating sustains long-term anti-bacterial(> 99.11%) and anti-algal effects for over 30 days, accompanied by mechanical,chemical, and thermal stability. This research asserts that the Si-POSS coating with outstanding combined characteristics holds significant potential for marine applications, particularly in self-cleaning and antifouling endeavors.

Recent Progress in Superhydrophobic Coatings Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Experimental Techniques

Superhydrophobic(SH)coatings are intended to resist a surface from cor­rosion and thereby increases the product life duration.It is also a promising solution to save cleaning costs and time by providing self-clean nature to the surface.This review article provides the most recent updates in design­ing SH surfaces and their characterizations adopted both in experimental and computational techniques.To gain a comprehensive perspective,the SH surfaces present in nature those are inspiring human beings to mimic such surfaces are introduced at the beginning of this article.Subsequently,different fabrication techniques undertaken recently to design artificial SH surfaces are briefly discussed.Recent progress in computations employed in the development of SH surfaces is then discussed.Next,the limitations in SH surfaces are addressed.Finally,perceptiveness of different strategies and their limitations are presented in the concluding remarks and outlook.Overall,this mini review article brings together and highlights the significant advancements in fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces which may surely help the early-stage researchers/scientists to plan their work accordingly.