Abstract
Recently, many studies have investigated additive manufacturing of hierarchical surfaces with high surface area/volume (SA/V) ratios, and their performance has been characterized for applications in next-generation functional devices. Despite recent advances, it remains challenging to design and manufacture high SA/V ratio structures with desired functionalities. In this study, we established the complex correlations among the SA/V ratio, surface structure geometry, functionality, and manufacturability in the Two-Photon Polymerization (TPP) process. Inspired by numerous natural structures, we proposed a 3-level hierarchical structure design along with the mathematical modeling of the SA/V ratio. Geometric and manufacturing constraints were modeled to create well-defined three-dimensional hierarchically structured surfaces with a high accuracy. A process flowchart was developed to design the proposed surface structures to achieve the target functionality, SA/V ratio, and geometric accuracy. Surfaces with varied SA/V ratios and hierarchy levels were designed and printed. The wettability and antireflection properties of the fabricated surfaces were characterized. It was observed that the wetting and antireflection properties of the 3-level design could be easily tailored by adjusting the design parameter settings and hierarchy levels. Furthermore, the proposed surface structure could change a naturally-hydrophilic surface to near-superhydrophobic. Geometrical light trapping effects were enabled and the antireflection property could be significantly enhanced (>80% less reflection) by the proposed hierarchical surface structures. Experimental results implied the great potential of the proposed surface structures for various applications such as microfluidics, optics, energy, and interfaces.
Investigations into the utility of high-surface area silica pellets as potential solid-phase synthesis supports
