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Evaporation-induced particle aggregation in drying droplets is of significant importance in the prevention of pathogen transfer due to the possibility of indirect fomite transmission of the infectious virus particles. In this study, particle aggregation was directionally controlled using contact line dynamics (pinned or slipping) and geometrical gradients on microstructured surfaces by the systematic investigation of the evaporation process on sessile droplets and sprayed microdroplets laden with virus-simulant nanoparticles. Using this mechanism, we designed robust particle capture surfaces by significantly inhibiting the contact transfer of particles from fomite surfaces. For the proof-of-concept, interconnected hexagonal and inverted pyramidal microwall were fabricated using ultravioletbased nanoimprint lithography, which is considered to be a promising scalable manufacturing process. We demonstrated the potentials of an engineered microcavity surface to limit the contact transfer of particle aggregates deposited with the evaporation of microdroplets by 93% for hexagonal microwall and by 96% for inverted pyramidal microwall. The particle capture potential of the interconnected microstructures was also investigated using biological particles, including adenoviruses and lung-derived extracellular vesicles. The findings indicate that the proposed microstructured surfaces can reduce the indirect fomite transmission of highly infectious agents, including norovirus, rotavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, via respiratory droplets.

Functional films with hydrophobic, oleophobic, anti-fouling, anti-icing, anti-bacterial and low reflectance properties can be produced by patterning nano- or micro-structures on films via nano imprint lithography. Here, an omni-phobic surface showing both hydrophobicity and oleophobicity was obtained without chemical surface treatment by increasing the surface roughness and deforming the pattern morphology using only nano imprint lithography and the oxygen-inhibited curing properties of polyurethane acrylate (PUA) resin. A tulip-shaped pattern imprinting process was designed in which microscale patterns were fabricated using a porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold with high oxygen transmission. During ultraviolet (UV) curing, a curing inhibiting layer was formed by reaction with oxygen. Next, a PDMS pad was used for the pressurized curing of the curing inhibition layer to modify the micro scale structures. Finally, final curing of the deformed pattern was performed using ultra high-power UV light. The deformation of the pattern into tulip-like shapes with increased surface roughness was confirmed by microscopy, and contact angle measurement was performed to confirm omni-phobicity. The final cured imprinted samples showed water and oil contact angles reaching 169.2° and 115°, respectively; thus, the omni-phobic surface could be demonstrated by a tulip-shaped pattern imprinting process.

Biological surfaces in plants are critical for controlling essential functions such as wettability, adhesion, and light management, which are linked to their adaptation, survival, and reproduction. Biomimetically patterned surfaces replicating the microstructures of plant surfaces have become an emerging tool for understanding plant–environment interactions. In this study, we developed a two-step micro-replication platform to mimic the microstructure of seed surfaces and demonstrated that this initial platform can be used to study seed surface–environment interactions. The two-step process involved the extraction of a simplified seed surface model from real seeds and micro-replication of the simplified seed surface model using nanoimprint lithography. Using Allium seeds collected from Mongolia and Central Asia as the model system, we studied the wettability of biological and synthetic seed surfaces. We could independently control the material properties of a synthetic seed surface while maintaining the microstructures and, thereby, provide clear evidence that Allium seed surfaces were highly wettable owing to the high surface energy in the epidermal material rather than a microstructural effect. We expect that this platform can facilitate study of the independent effect of microstructure on the interaction of seed surfaces with their surroundings and contribute to research on the evolution of plant–environment interactions.

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