Tunable Wettability with Stretchable Microstructured Surfaces

doi:10.1002/adem.202300821

Tunable Wettability with Stretchable Microstructured Surfaces

2023-09-24

10

OA

AI

Hettiarachchi, Samith

N

Navid Kashaninejad *

DOI：10.1002/adem.202300821

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Analyzing the wettability of stretchable microstructured surfaces is crucial in applications like soft robotics, wearable biosensors, stretchable electronics, and electronic skin (e-skin). However, it remains unclear how stretching affects the surface free energy (SFE) of these stretchable surfaces. In this article, stretchable microstructured surfaces are designed and fabricated, enabling liquid droplets to stay on top of the surface gaps. The corresponding SFE values are quantified as a function of both micropillar geometry and strain. It is observed that stretching could significantly affect their SFE and wettability. For instance, for the microstructured surface with pillar and gap dimensions of 10 & mu;m, increasing the strain from 0% to 50% causes a sevenfold increase in the effective SFE. Interestingly, reversible decreasing of the strain decreases SFE to its original value, suggesting that the SFE remains unchanged after a complete stretching and releasing cycle. This trend agrees with the measurement of apparent contact angle (CA) as a function of strain. The results demonstrate stretching's capacity to significantly increase the wettability of microstructured surfaces, leading to a decrease in the CA and an increase in SFE. These findings further shed light on understanding the tunable wettability of microstructured surfaces under various deformation conditions. Investigating wettability in stretchable microstructured surfaces is crucial for applications like wearable biosensors and electronic skin. This study explores how surface energy changes during stretching, impacting wettability. Microstructured surfaces show a sevenfold increase in surface energy when stretched by 50%, reverting after release. These results reveal the potential of enhancing wettability through stretching, offering insights into tunable microstructured surfaces.image & COPY; 2023 WILEY-VCH GmbH

Keyword:

micro/nanofabrication

micropillar surfaces

stretchable microstructures

superhydrophobic surfaces

surface-free energy

tunable wettability

Tunable Wettability with Stretchable Microstructured Surfaces

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