All-perfluoropolymer, nonlinear stability-assisted monolithic surface combines topology-specific superwettability with ultradurability

Wanbo Li; Chiu-Wing Chan; Zeyu Li; Sin-Yung Siu; Siyu Chen; Han Sun; Zeyu Liu; Yisu Wang; Chong Hu; Nicola Maria Pugno; Richard N Zare; Hongkai Wu; Kangning Ren

doi:10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100389

All-perfluoropolymer, nonlinear stability-assisted monolithic surface combines topology-specific superwettability with ultradurability

Innovation (Camb). 2023 Feb 9;4(2):100389. doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100389. eCollection 2023 Mar 13.

Authors

Wanbo Li^{1

2}, Chiu-Wing Chan¹, Zeyu Li¹, Sin-Yung Siu¹, Siyu Chen¹, Han Sun¹, Zeyu Liu³, Yisu Wang¹, Chong Hu¹, Nicola Maria Pugno^{4

5}, Richard N Zare⁶, Hongkai Wu³, Kangning Ren^{1

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong 999077, China.
² School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
³ Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong 999077, China.
⁴ Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory of Bio-Inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials and Mechanics, Università di Trento, 38100 Trento, Italy.
⁵ School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
⁶ Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China.
⁸ HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen 518057, China.

Abstract

Developing versatile and robust surfaces that mimic the skins of living beings to regulate air/liquid/solid matter is critical for many bioinspired applications. Despite notable achievements, such as in the case of developing robust superhydrophobic surfaces, it remains elusive to realize simultaneously topology-specific superwettability and multipronged durability owing to their inherent tradeoff and the lack of a scalable fabrication method. Here, we present a largely unexplored strategy of preparing an all-perfluoropolymer (Teflon), nonlinear stability-assisted monolithic surface for efficient regulating matters. The key to achieving topology-specific superwettability and multilevel durability is the geometric-material mechanics design coupling superwettability stability and mechanical strength. The versatility of the surface is evidenced by its manufacturing feasibility, multiple-use modes (coating, membrane, and adhesive tape), long-term air trapping in 9-m-deep water, low-fouling droplet transportation, and self-cleaning of nanodirt. We also demonstrate its multilevel durability, including strong substrate adhesion, mechanical robustness, and chemical stability, all of which are needed for real-world applications.

Keywords: 3D structure; biomimetic materials; nonlinear stability; robustness; superwettability.