A switchable cross-species liquid-repellent surface is developed that can rapidly switch between two distinct liquid-repellent modes: i) the superhydrophobic mode, modeled after lotus leaves, and ii) the slippery mode, modeled after the pitcher-plant peristome. Adaptive liquid repellency and programmable fog harvesting are demonstrated as application examples for the new switchable surface.

This article presents a facile approach to centimeter-scale colloidal photonic crystals (PCs) with narrow stopbands assembled on low-adhesive superhydrophobic substrates. The full-width-at-half-maxima of the stopbands are just 12 nm. The narrow stopbands of colloidal PCs are ascribed to the combined effects of perfectly ordered assembly structure, large-scale crack elimination, decreased void fraction, and sufficient thickness of the colloidal PCs. These properties result from a self-assembly process on a low-adhesive superhydrophobic substrate. Latex suspension on this substrate displays a receding three-phase contact line during evaporation, which releases tensile stress induced by latex shrinkage and results in complete elimination of cracks in the colloidal PCs. Furthermore, the simultaneous assembly of latex particles on the outermost layer of a spread liquid film contributes to the perfectly ordered assembly structure. This facile fabrication of centimeter-scale colloidal PCs with narrow stopbands will offer significant insights into the design and creation of novel optical devices.

A critical requirement for the successful recognition of multiple analytes is the acquisition of abundant sensing information. However, for this to be achieved requires massive chemical sensors or multiplex materials, which complicates the multianalysis. Thus, there is a need to develop a strategy for the facile and efficient recognition of multiple analytes. Herein, we explore the angle-dependent structural colors of photonic crystals to provide abundant optical information, thereby generating a rainbow-color chip to realize the convenient recognition of multiple analytes. By simply using a multiangle analysis method, the monophotonic crystal matrix chip can differentially enhance fluorescence signals over broad spectral ranges, thereby resulting in abundant sensing information for highly efficient multiple analysis. Twelve saccharides with similar structures, as well as saccharides in different concentrations and mixtures, were successfully discriminated.

Since the early discovery of the antireflection properties of insect compound eyes, new examples of natural antireflective coatings have been rare. Here, we report the fabrication and optical characterization of a biologically inspired antireflective surface that emulates the intricate surface architectures of leafhopper-produced brochosomes—soccer ball-like microscale granules with nanoscale indentations. Our method utilizes double-layer colloidal crystal templates in conjunction with site-specific electrochemical growth to create these structures, and is compatible with various materials including metals, metal oxides, and conductive polymers. These brochosome coatings (BCs) can be designed to exhibit strong omnidirectional antireflective performance of wavelengths from 250 to 2000 nm, comparable to the state-of-the-art antireflective coatings. Our results provide evidence for the use of brochosomes as a camouflage coating against predators of leafhoppers or their eggs. The discovery of the antireflective function of BCs may find applications in solar energy harvesting, imaging, and sensing devices.

No abstract

A controllable underwater oil‐adhesion‐interface is presented based on colloidal crystals assembled from nonspherical latex particles. The underwater oil‐adhesive force of the as‐prepared film can be effectively controlled from high to low adhesion by varying the latex structures from spherical or cauliflower‐like to single cavity, which effectively adjusts the solid/liquid contact mode/wetting state of oil droplets on the films. This facile fabrication of functional films with special underwater oil‐adhesion properties based on a flexible design of a latex structure will offer significant insight for the design and creation of novel underwater antifouling materials.

Cracking of photonic crystals (PCs) has received considerable attention because of its severe limitation to PC's applications in high-performance optics devices. Although enormous efforts have been focused on the understanding and elimination of the uncontrolled cracks in the self-assembly process, no reliable, low cost and scalable methods have been demonstrated for the fabrication of large (cm or more) crack-free single-crystalline PCs. Herein, we present a facile, reliable approach for the assembly of crack-free single-crystalline PCs on the centimeter scale by the synergistic effects of substrate deformation and monomer infiltration/polymerization. The co-assembling monomer infiltrates and polymerizes in the interstices of the colloidal spheres to form an elastic polymer network, which could lower the tensile stress generated from colloid shrinkage and strengthen the long-range interactions of the colloidal spheres. Otherwise, the timely transformation of the flexible substrate releases the residual stress. This facile, scalable and environment-friendly approach to centimeter-scale crack-free singlecrystalline PCs will not only prompt the practical applications of PCs in high-performance optics devices, but also have great implications for the fabrication of crack-free thin films in other fields, such as wet clays, coating and the ceramic industry.Scheme 1 Fabrication process for crack-free photonic crystals (PCs) by polymerization-assisted assembly on aluminium foil. In the assembly process, the monomer polymerizes and forms an elastic polymer in the interstices of the colloidal spheres. The elastic deformation of the as-formed polymer counteracts the volume change resulted from latex shrinkage and decreases the tensile stress generated. Meanwhile, the substrate deformation releases the residual stress. Both contribute to the achievement of crack-free single-crystalline PCs. Polymerization-assisted assembly and flexible substrate J Zhou et al Figure 1 Scanning electronic microscopy images, ultraviolet-vis spectra of the crack-free PNIPAm/colloid composite opal (a-c) and poly N-isopropyl acrylamide inverse opal (d-f) photonic crystals (PCs) assembled on Al foils. The inset in (a) is a digital photograph of crack-free PC taken at an angle of ca 451 from the sample surface, and the scale bar is 1 cm. The inset in (b) is the magnified SEM image. These SEM images indicate that cracks have been completely eliminated from the PCs. Narrower full-width-at-half-maximum is observed for the crack-free colloidal PCs compared with that of cracked PCs. Polymerization-assisted assembly and flexible substrate J Zhou et al This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the NPG Asia Materials website (http://www.nature.com/am) Polymerization-assisted assembly and flexible substrate J Zhou et al

No abstract