2018

Daniel D, Timonen JVI, Li R, Velling SJ, Kreder MJ, Tetreault A, Aizenberg J. Origins of liquid-repellency on structured, flat, and lubricated surfaces . Phys. Rev. Lett. 2018.Abstract
There are currently three main classes of liquid-repellent surfaces: micro-/nano-structured superhydrophobic surfaces, flat surfaces grafted with `liquid-like' polymer brushes, and lubricated surfaces. Despite recent progress, the mechanistic explanation for the differences in droplet behavior on such surfaces is still under debate. Here, we measured the dissipative force acting on a droplet moving on representatives of these surfaces at different velocities U = 0.01--1 mm/s using a cantilever force sensor with sub-μN accuracy, and correlated it to the contact line dynamics observed using optical interferometry at high spatial (micron) and temporal (lessthan 0.1s) resolutions. We find that the dissipative force---due to very different physical mechanisms at the contact line---is independent of velocity on superhydrophobic surfaces, but depends non-linearly on velocity for flat and lubricated surfaces. The techniques and insights presented here will inform future work on liquid-repellent surfaces and enable their rational design.
Hinz K, Alvarenga J, Kim P, Park D, Aizenberg J, Bechthold M. Pneumatically adaptive light modulation system (PALMS) for buildings. Materials & Design. 2018;152 :156-167. Publisher's VersionAbstract

This research introduces a novel approach to control light transmittance based on flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films that have been plasma-treated such that micro-scale surface features have a visual effect as the film responds to applied strain. The effect is continuously tunable from optically clear (71.5% Transmittance over a 400–900 nm wavelength) to completely diffuse (18.1% T). Changes in the film's optical properties are triggered by bi-axial strains applied using a pneumatic system to form pressurized envelopes. This paper reports on a series of experimental studies and provides system integration research using prototypes, simulations and geometric models to correlate measured optical properties, strain, and global surface curvatures. In conclusion, a design is proposed to integrate PDMS light control within existing building envelopes.

Two alternatives are investigated and compared: System A uses positive pressure featuring an exterior grid to restrain and shape the inflated film during expansion; System B uses negative pressure where the films are shaped according to the geometry of an interstitial grid that serves as a spacer between two film surfaces. Both systems can provide effective control of opacity levels using pneumatic pressure and may be suitable for use with existing glazing systems or ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) pneumatic envelopes.

Yao Y, Aizenberg J, Park K-C. Dropwise Condensation on Hydrophobic Bumps and Dimples. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2018;112 (15) :151605. Full TextAbstract
Surface topography plays an important role in promoting or suppressing localized condensation. In this work, we study the growth of water droplets on hydrophobic convex surface textures such as bumps and concave surface textures such as dimples with a millimeter scale radius of curvature. We analyze the spatio-temporal droplet size distribution under a supersaturation condition created by keeping the uniform surface temperature below the dew point and show its relationship with the sign and magnitude of the surface curvature. In particular, in contrast to the well-known capillary condensation effect, we report an unexpectedly less favorable condensation on smaller, millimeter-scale dimples where the capillary condensation effect is negligible. To explain these experimental results, we numerically calculated the diffusion flux of water vapor around the surface textures, showing that its magnitude is higher on bumps and lower on dimples compared to a flat surface. We envision that our understanding of millimetric surface topography can be applied to improve the energy efficiency of condensation in applications such as water harvesting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems for buildings and transportation, heat exchangers, thermal desalination plants, and fuel processing systems.
Li L, Fijneman AJ, Kaandorp JA, Aizenberg J, Noorduin WL. Directed nucleation and growth by balancing local supersaturation and substrate/nucleus lattice mismatch. PNAS. 2018;14 :3573-3580. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Controlling nucleation and growth is crucial in biological and artificial mineralization and self-assembly processes. The nucleation barrier is determined by the chemistry of the interfaces at which crystallization occurs and local supersaturation. Although chemically tailored substrates and lattice mismatches are routinely used to modify energy landscape at the substrate/nucleus interface and thereby steer heterogeneous nucleation, strategies to combine this with control over local supersaturations have remained virtually unexplored. Here we demonstrate simultaneous control over both parameters to direct the positioning and growth direction of mineralizing compounds on preselected polymorphic substrates. We exploit the polymorphic nature of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to locally manipulate the carbonate concentration and lattice mismatch between the nucleus and substrate, such that barium carbonate (BaCO3) and strontium carbonate (SrCO3) nucleate only on specific CaCO3 polymorphs. Based on this approach we position different materials and shapes on predetermined CaCO3 polymorphs in sequential steps, and guide the growth direction using locally created supersaturations. These results shed light on nature’s remarkable mineralization capabilities and outline fabrication strategies for advanced materials, such as ceramics, photonic structures, and semiconductors.
Hou X, Li J, Tesler AB, Yao Y, Wang M, Min L, Sheng Z, Aizenberg J. Dynamic air/liquid pockets for guiding microscale flow. Nat. Commun. 2018;9 :733. Full TextAbstract

Microscale flows of fluids are mainly guided either by solid matrices or by liquid–liquid interfaces. However, the solid matrices are plagued with persistent fouling problems, while liquid–liquid interfaces are limited to low-pressure applications. Here we report a dynamic liquid/solid/gas material containing both air and liquid pockets, which are formed by partially infiltrating a porous matrix with a functional liquid. Using detailed theoretical and experimental data, we show that the distribution of the air- and liquid-filled pores is responsive to pressure and enables the formation and instantaneous recovery of stable liquid–liquid interfaces that sustain a wide range of pressures and prevent channel contamination. This adaptive design is demonstrated for polymeric materials and extended to metal-based systems that can achieve unmatched mechanical and thermal stability. Our platform with its unique adaptive pressure and antifouling capabilities may offer potential solutions to flow control in microfluidics, medical devices, microscale synthesis, and biological assays.

Phillips KR, Shirman T, Shirman E, Shneidman AV, Kay TM, Aizenberg J. Nanocrystalline Precursors for the Co-Assembly of Crack-Free Metal Oxide Inverse Opals. Adv. Mater. 2018;30 :1706329. Publisher's VersionAbstract

Inorganic microstructured materials are ubiquitous in nature. However, their formation in artificial self-assembly systems is challenging as it involves a complex interplay of competing forces during and after assembly. For example, colloidal assembly requires fine-tuning of factors such as the size and surface charge of the particles and electrolyte strength of the solvent to enable successful self-assembly and minimize crack formation. Co-assembly of templating colloidal particles together with a sol–gel matrix precursor material helps to release stresses that accumulate during drying and solidification, as previously shown for the formation of high-quality inverse opal (IO) films out of amorphous silica. Expanding this methodology to crystalline materials would result in microscale architectures with enhanced photonic, electronic, and catalytic properties. This work describes tailoring the crystallinity of metal oxide precursors that enable the formation of highly ordered, large-area (mm2) crack-free titania, zirconia, and alumina IO films. The same bioinspired approach can be applied to other crystalline materials as well as structures beyond IOs.

Pages