light-induced-patterning-grafting-for-slippery-surfaces-based-on

Light-induced Patterning and Grafting for Slippery Surfaces based on Silane-coated Nanoporous Structures

This protocol describes a light-induced method for fabricating spatially patterned slippery surfaces via digital light processing (DLP) and ...

Changwon National University

Artificial liquid-repellent surfaces inspired by biomimetic structures provide a wide range of functional surfaces for various practical applications, such as self-cleaning, antisticking, oil/water separation, and droplet manipulation. However, functional biomimetic structures cannot be fabricated using conventional techniques. For example, mushroom-like topologies on the skin of springtails, which are referred to as "doubly reentrant structures," have attracted significant attention owing to their extraordinary liquid-repellent properties. Current methods of fabricating these reentrant structures have several limitations, such as complex material systems, processing steps, and additional chemical treatments. This study proposed a simple micro-shape-deformed approach to fabricate mushroom-like reentrant structures by digital light processing, a three-dimensional (3D) printing technique, with volumetric shrinkage. The nonuniform cross-linking process and light propagation during photopolymerization caused the deformation of the topological patterns atop the micropillar arrays, resulting in bent structures for mushroom-like shape-deformed microarchitectures. This 3D-printed shape-deformed microstructure exhibits a highly stable liquid repellency without perfluorinated coatings.

Shape-Deformed Mushroom-like Reentrant Structures for Robust Liquid-Repellent Surfaces.

Owing to their unique structural robustness, interconnected reentrant structures offer multifunctionality for various applications. a scalable multistep roll-to-roll printing method is proposed for fabricating reentrant microcavity surfaces, coined as wetting-induced interconnected reentrant geometry (WING) process. The key to the proposed WING process is a highly reproducible reentrant structure formation controlled by the capillary action during contact between prefabricated microcavity structure and spray-coated ultraviolet-curable resins. It demonstrates the superior liquid repellency of the WING structures, which maintain large contact angles even with low-surface-tension liquids, and their robust capability to retain solid particles and liquids under external forces. In addition, the scalable and continuous fabrication approach addresses the limitations of existing methods, providing a cost-effective and high-throughput solution for creating multifunctional reentrant surfaces for anti-icing, biofouling prevention, and particle capture.

Scalable Multistep Roll-to-Roll Printing of Multifunctional and Robust Reentrant Microcavity Surfaces via a Wetting-Induced Process.

The primary challenge in creating controllable liquid-based materials lies in managing the structural complexities and multiscale interfaces that govern solid, liquid, and gas phase interactions. Current fabrication methods for liquid-infused surfaces lack topological flexibility, limiting them to planar and simple-patterned structures. Conversely, digitally fabricating slippery architectural materials marks a significant shift towards scalable microprinting of complex, topologically slippery designs. This paper introduces a method for digitally fabricating slippery objects with solid-liquid composite interfaces and geometric design freedom. The slippery architecture has been demonstrated through digital printing of photopolymerization-induced multiphase materials and photoinduced grafting, enabling precise control over structural topologies and slippery properties of infused liquids. This versatile platform facilitates the fabrication of structures at multiple scales, enhancing liquid manipulation, droplet evaporation, and biomedical microfluidic chip design. These methods advance beyond conventional techniques, showcasing the potential of architected slippery surfaces with controlled structural scales.

Digitally fabricated 3D slippery architectures for multifunctional liquid manipulation.

Achieving simultaneously high strength and toughness in lightweight architected materials remains a fundamental challenge because of the inherent tradeoff between these properties. Herein, we propose a novel strategy for fabricating robust 3D lattice structures by integrating photopolymerization-induced phase separation with the formation of an interpenetrating phase composite (IPC). This approach enables the creation of bicontinuous nanostructures composed of a soft acrylate phase and a hard epoxy phase, which are uniformly distributed within a porous lattice fabricated via digital light processing 3D printing. The resulting soft-hard interface microstructures exhibit remarkable mechanical enhancements. Compared with those of solid structures with the same geometry, the compressive stiffness, strength, and toughness are improved by 35%, 12%, and 47%, respectively. In addition, these structures exhibit excellent fatigue resistance under cyclic loading due to efficient load transfer and energy dissipation through the multiscale bicontinuous network. This scalable and versatile platform not only overcomes the key limitations of traditional IPC fabrication methods but also opens new avenues for designing lightweight, damage-tolerant metamaterials. The proposed approach holds promise for diverse high-performance applications, including aerospace, biomedical, and protective systems.

Article	Year
Shape-Deformed Mushroom-like Reentrant Structures for Robust Liquid-Repellent Surfaces. ACS applied materials & interfaces\| PubMed ID: 34196537	2021
Scalable Multistep Roll-to-Roll Printing of Multifunctional and Robust Reentrant Microcavity Surfaces via a Wetting-Induced Process. Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)\| PubMed ID: 39572924	2025
Digitally fabricated 3D slippery architectures for multifunctional liquid manipulation. Nature communications\| PubMed ID: 41073399	2025
Mechanically resilient 3D lattices with soft-hard bicontinuous nanostructures via phase-separated interpenetrating composites. Scientific reports\| PubMed ID: 41233548	2025

Seo Rim Park

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