Topography‐Free Dual‐Lubricant Patterned Slippery Surfaces for Programmable Droplet Control and High‐Performance Water Harvesting
Passive droplet control is critical for next-generation water harvesting, fluidic logic, and adaptive wetting surfaces. Here, we report a scalable, topography-free slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) based on poly[1-phenyl-2-[p-(trimethylsilyl)phenyl]acetylene] (PTMSDPA). By selectively chemically fluorinating specific regions of the porous PTMSDPA film, followed by sequential infusion of two immiscible hydrophobic lubricants into their respective affinity-matched polymer matrices, this approach enables interfacial energy contrasts that direct droplet motion. The heterogeneous oil-infused porous surface (HOIPS) has a unique intrinsic fluorescence enabling real-time, dye-free visualization of infiltrated lubricant domains. Owing to its ultrathin (∼200 nm) and flexible polymer structure, the HOIPS enables controllable droplet motion on flat, flexible, and curved substrates without reliance on surface topography, physical confinement, or asymmetric geometries. Sub-millimeter-scale HOIPS line patterns enable controlled droplet coalescence, shedding diameter, and release timing during condensation, and optimized patterns exhibit up to 2.5× higher water-harvesting performance compared to fluorinated-oil-based SLIPS, providing a material-efficient strategy for liquid-repellent surfaces. Taken together, these results establish PTMSDPA-based HOIPS as a versatile platform for controlled droplet manipulation and condensation management.
Authors
- Eonji Kim
- Hwanhui Yun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8691-7060)
- Jineun Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3216-0861)
- Jinhee Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7172-0409)
- Giseop Kwak
- Doo Young Choi
- Joon Heon Kim
- Jinchul Yang
- Kyuyoung Heo
- In Hwan Jung
- Wang‐Eun Lee
- Yong‐Jae Jin
Institutions
- Kyungpook National University (KR)
- Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
- Korea Photonics Technology Institute (KR)
- Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KR)
- Hanyang University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2026-02-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202510374
- Primary Topic
- Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00