Advanced polymer processing technologies for micro‐ and nanostructured surfaces: A review

Abstract

Functional surfaces with attractive properties, such as superhydrophobicity and omniphobicity often rely on the synergy between intrinsic material properties and dual scale micro‐ and nano‐hierarchical structures for achieving desired wettability. Historically, engineered liquid repellent surfaces have attracted a great deal of interest from academia and industry due to their broad application prospects. Hence, for several years, there have been significant scientific efforts by researchers exploring state of the art manufacturing technologies that are efficient and yet cost effective to produce functional liquid repellent surfaces at an industrial scale. This technical review summarizes the various advanced and state of the art polymer processing technologies employed to fabricate the micro‐ and nanostructured polymer surfaces, with a special focus given to superhydrophobic and omniphobic applications. Here, we discuss the merits and limitations of each fabrication methods available for micro‐ and nanostructuring of polymer‐based surfaces. In addition, an attempt has been made to provide insight into the relationship between geometry of micro/nanostructures (size and shape) and intrinsic wettability on liquid repellency. A special section has been devoted to feature and document all commercialization efforts, including various commercially available products that were developed in the past decade. Finally, outlook and the development trend in the polymer micro‐ and nanostructured surfaces are highlighted to lead future research.

Progress in recycling and reutilization of waste polyethylene terephthalate

“…These nanofiber membranes have significant implications in water and air filtration, as well as smoke control, contributing to the mitigation of water and air pollution. 83,84…”

Replication of large‐area microstructures by combining movable induction heating and roller hot embossing

“…After, the pressure is released, and the mold is opened when the temperature drops to an appropriate level. 8,9 However, because the pressure in traditional hot embossing is generated by two parallel plates that may have rough surfaces or be imperfectly aligned, this method can result in uneven pressure distribution. 10 Moreover, if the area of the plates is too small, large-scale continuous production can be difficult.…”

“…To compensate for this shrinkage, pressure is maintained to ensure that the plastic in the mold is filled. After, the pressure is released, and the mold is opened when the temperature drops to an appropriate level 8,9 …”

Investigation of Inkjet-Printed Masks for Fast and Easy Photolithographic NIL Masters Manufacturing

“…In the field of nanofabrication, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has recently become more popular [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. NIL allows master structures to be replicated with high precision in a short time using a working stamp [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”

“…The polymer of the replica can be fixed with heat (hot embossing) as well as with ultraviolet (UV) light. A detailed description of the NIL technique can be found, e.g., in [ 1 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. This article focuses on the master and subsequent stamp manufacturing for a UV–soft NIL process.…”