A biomimetic surface with switchable contact angle and adhesion for transfer and storage of microdroplets

Abstract

Recently, superhydrophobic surfaces with switchable wettability have attracted much attention. The ability to control the contact angle and adhesion of the multifunctional smart surface will be more beneficial to meet the complex practical applications, but until now this has been a challenge. Inspired by rose petals, we report a smart, biomimetic, and superhydrophobic surface whose wettability can switch reversibly between superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity on the Cu substance. At the same time, we can control the adhesion on the as-prepared superhydrophobic surface by covering and removing the ink. Thus, the as-prepared surface can be used as a medium for microdroplet transfer and storage. Compared with the original Cu substrate, electrochemical measurements show that the corrosion inhibition of the superhydrophobic surface is significantly improved. Good corrosion resistance allows the platform to be used to manipulate or store more types of microdroplets, especially corrosive microdroplets. In addition, the as-prepared surface has a good stability which facilitates the practical application of the as-prepared smart surface. This work provides a smart and effective strategy for lossless transfer and patterned storage of microdroplets. It is also promising for the design of new smart interface materials such as for biological cell manipulation, chemical microreaction and other types of microfluidic devices.