Temperature‐responsive smart surfaces via rise‐and‐descent transition: Attachability, durability, and fast sweating

Abstract

Smart surfaces containing thermo-responsive hydrogels have been investigated for several decades, but the development of mechanically durable and versatile surfaces that can undergo distinct property changes remains a challenging task. Herein, we prepare smart surfaces showing reversible changes in micro-scale roughness, which are attachable to various polymeric substrates. The hydrogel microphase located between silicone phases responsively rise and descend (volcanic-terrain-mimetic transition); as a result, the surface properties reversibly swing from those of the hydrophobic silicone-like ones to those of the wet hydrogel ones. The durability of these surfaces resembles that of silicone, while their fast water release characteristics allow the utilization of the studied materials in self-aligning and artificial sweating applications. The release of the drug molecules loaded into the hydrogel phase is controlled by varying the temperature and composite structure. Thus, the fabricated versatile surfaces utilizing the volume transition of thermo-responsive hydrogels can meet the requirements of various future applications.