Heterogeneous micro-architectonic integration of SU-8 and highly entangled polyacrylamide hydrogel to realize cut-resistant soft superhydrophobic surfaces

This paper presents a novel idea to create cut-resistant superhydrophobic (SHPo) surfaces by integrating an array of SU-8 micropillars on a highly entangled polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel substrate. We begin by demonstrating that this highly entangled PAAm hydrogel exhibits superior resistance to cutting while being as transparent, flexible, and stretchable as other polymeric substrates like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Currently, there are no well-known methods or chemicals to directly integrate SU-8 and PAAm with a covalent bond. To overcome this challenge, we introduce a thin layer of chemically modified PDMS between the SU-8 and PAAm so that covalent bonds can be formed between both the SU-8/PDMS interface and the PDMS/PAAm interface. After validating the reliability of the bonding in our experiments, we develop a heterogeneous integration process to fabricate the desired SHPo surface. To demonstrate the critical role of PAAm hydrogel in achieving the cut-resistant SHPo surface, we contrast this new SHPo surface with a reference version that uses a PDMS substrate instead. We conduct microscopic inspections using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a contact angle goniometer before and after cutting the two surfaces. These evaluations show significant differences in their structural integrity and behavior in water interaction.