Laser-made material repels acids and survives 5,000 stretch cycles without chemical solvents or coatings.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an ultra-stretchable material that repels nearly any liquid and holds up under extreme deformation. The team used laser ablation instead of chemical spray coatings to build the liquid-repellent surface, eliminating the need for harsh solvents.
The material retains its superomniphobic properties when stretched up to five times its original length and after more than 5,000 stretch-release cycles. That means it can withstand repeated pulling, bending, and twisting without losing its ability to repel liquids.“Superomniphobic materials can repel virtually any liquid – such as extremely harsh acids, bases or solvents – just as well as they can water,” says Arun Kumar Kota, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. “They are useful in a wide range of applications, such as soft robots for example, which may need materials that can withstand harsh environments, stretch and change shape.”Superomniphobic surfaces are typically created by spray-coating a material with a solvent containing nanoparticles. The coating forms a rough texture that prevents liquids from sticking. ‘But these coatings tend to delaminate when stretched beyond 100% strain, limiting their use in flexible systems.Breaking the delamination barrierIn earlier work, Kota’s group addressed this by adding microprotrusions, tiny pillars between 10 and 100 microns wide, before applying the spray coating. The coating between the pillars peeled away under strain, but the tops of the pillars remained protected.“As a crude analogy, think of my outstretched arms as the material and my hair as the microprotrusions,” Kota says. “If you pull my arms, my hair does not feel the stress and remains unaffected. We found that spray-coated materials with microprotrusions were superomniphobic at up to five times their initial length.”In the new study, the team removed the spray coating altogether. “In this work, instead of spray coating, we use laser ablation to create both the microprotrusions and the rough surface that creates superomniphobicity,” Kota continues. “However, we first had to determine the optimal parameters for the laser: power, speed and spatial frequency – or how many times the laser pulses per unit length.”Because laser ablation involves millions of possible parameter combinations, the researchers turned to machine learning. They fed laser power, speed, spatial frequency, and the desired sliding angle into a model that predicted the best settings, avoiding long cycles of trial and error.Machine learning guides lasersThe optimized process was tested on a siloxane elastomer modified with a fluorocarbon silane to enhance hydrophobicity.The resulting surface maintained superomniphobicity at up to 400% strain and through more than 5,000 stretch cycles. The team also analyzed how stretching affected contact angles, breakthrough pressures, and sliding angles.“We have created a platform for creating stretchable superomniphobic materials without the use of chemical solvents and without needing hundreds of thousands of trial-and-error experiments,” Kota says.“This method is a greener, more cost-effective way to produce materials for a diverse array of applications ranging from textile dressings to stretchable electronics that can be used in chemically harsh environments.”The researchers say the approach could support the development of artificial skin, soft robotics, wearable electronics, and protective textile coatings designed for demanding conditions.The research was published in the journal Matter.
Laser Ablation Machine Learning Soft Robotics Solvent-Free Manufacturing Stretchable Electronics Superomniphobic Materials
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