A simple two-step plasmachemical methodology is outlined for the fabrication of microcondensor surfaces. This comprises the creation of a superhydrophobic background followed by pulsed plasma deposition of a hydrophilic polymer array. Microcondensation efficiency has been explored in terms of the chemical nature of the hydrophilic pixels and their dimensions. These results are compared to the hydrophilic-hydrophobic pattern present on the Stenocara beetle's back, which is used by the insect to collect water in the desert. Potential applications include fog harvesting, microfluidics, and biomolecule immobilization.

Tin selenide (SnSe) has attracted much attention in the field of thermoelectrics since the discovery of the record figure of merit (ZT) of 2.6 ± 0.3 along the b‐axis of the material. The record ZT is attributed to an ultralow thermal conductivity that arises from anharmonicity in bonding. While it is known that nanostructuring offers the prospect of enhanced thermoelectric performance, there have been minimal studies in the literature to date of the thermoelectric performance of thin films of SnSe. In this work, preferentially orientated porous networks of thin film SnSe nanosheets are fabricated using a simple thermal evaporation method, which exhibits an unprecedentedly low thermal conductivity of 0.08 W m−1 K−1 between 375 and 450 K. In addition, the first known example of a working SnSe thermoelectric generator is presented and characterized.

Environmental stability is a common challenge for the commercialisation of low cost, encapsulation-free organic opto-electronic devices.

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