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Polymer replica of microcrystalline surface with dual wettability, mimicking a termite wing

Polymer Journal (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Termite wings are covered with hair shafts and micrasters, which provide it with dual wettability. Although the surface is superhydrophobic for bulk water and large droplets, it is adhesive for microdroplets of water. We mimicked this rough surface by applying a photoinduced crystal growth phenomenon on a photoreactive crystalline surface consisting of two photochromic diarylethene derivatives. This crystalline surface showed dual wettability, but the photoreactive crystalline system was not applicable under daylight. This lack of applicability was apparent because the rough crystalline structures on the surface melted under visible light irradiation. We used soft lithography and transcribed the rough structure of the crystalline film to a stable polycycloolefin polymer (ZEONEX 480) surface. In this case, ultrasonic treatment was indispensable for molding complex structured surfaces. The transcribed surface showed the same characteristics of dual wettability as the crystalline surface.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Zeon Co., Ltd., for providing the ZEONEX 480 polymer. This work was partially supported by Grants-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A) (JP22H05197) funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Ryukoku University, Seta, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2194, Japan

    Yuki Hashimoto, Amane Hase, Ayumu Tani, Yohei Hattori & Kingo Uchida

  2. Department of Chemistry and Research Center for Smart Molecules, Rikkyo University, 3-34-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 171-8501, Japan

    Ryo Nishimura

  3. Department of Chemistry, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1 Midorigaoka-higashi, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan

    Hiroyuki Mayama

  4. School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0392, Japan

    Satoshi Yokojima

  5. Priority Organization for Innovation and Excellence Laboratory for Data Science, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1, Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan

    Shinichiro Nakamura

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  1. Yuki Hashimoto
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Correspondence to Kingo Uchida.

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Hashimoto, Y., Hase, A., Tani, A. et al. Polymer replica of microcrystalline surface with dual wettability, mimicking a termite wing. Polym J (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-024-00926-5

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