Rapid transfer of hierarchical microstructures onto biomimetic polymer surfaces with gradually tunable water adhesion from slippery to sticky superhydrophobicity

Biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces are generally limited to extremely high or quite low water droplet adhesion. The present work proposes flexible template replication methods for bio-inspired polypropylene (PP) surfaces with microtopographies and gradually tunable water droplet adhesion in one step using microinjection compression molding (mu-ICM). A dual-level microstructure appears on PP surfaces prepared using a flexible template. The microstructures obtained under low and high mold temperatures exhibit low-aspect-ratio (AR) micropillars with semi-spherical top and high-AR ones with conical top, resulting in the surfaces with high-adhesive hydrophobicity and low-adhesive superhydrophobicity, respectively. Further, silica nanoparticles (SNPs) coated on templates are transferred to viscous state-dominated melt during its filling in mu-ICM, and firmly adhered to the skin of the replicas, forming hierarchical microstructures on PP surfaces. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic SNPs on high-AR micropillared surfaces help achieve extremely high (petal effect) and extremely low (lotus effect) adhesion on superhydrophobic surfaces, respectively. The hybrid SNPs on low-AR micropillars change the Wenzel state-dominated surface to Cassie-Baxter state-dominated surface and preserves medium adhesion with superhydrophobicity. The proposed methods for fast and mass replication of superhydrophobic surfaces with the dual-level or hierarchical microtopography can be excellent candidates for the development of microfluidics, sensors, and labs on chip.