The design of multifunctional surfaces based on biomimetic structures has gained the interest of the scientific community. This is mainly due to potential applications like self-cleaning surfaces, microfluidics. nanomedicine and catalysis. Such biomimetic structures can be achieved by using “smart” coatings, which can respond to external stimuli, such as light, temperature, electric field, pH or solvent selectivity, onto appropriately structured substrates. Novel multifunctional surfaces have been developed, able to alter their wetting properties in response to both temperature and pH as well as light illumination, by combining proper chemistry and surface micro/nano-structuring. For this purpose, dual scale micro/nano-roughened surfaces have been prepared by irradiating Si wafers using ultrafast (femtosecond) laser under a reactive atmosphere; polymeric or inorganic coatings were subsequently introduced to provide the desired functionality. The combination of the hierarchical surface with a ZnO coating and/or a pH- or temperature-responsive polymer results in efficient photo-active properties as well as reversible superhydrophobic / superhydrphilic surfaces in response to the external stimuli. Such surfaces can be optimized to exhibit high or zero water adhesion and/or controllable directionality as well. Moreover, such surfaces can be seeded with human fibroblasts in order to examine the cellular response on both the surface roughness and the surface chemistry.

Development of multi-functional surfaces with controllable wettability

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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