A Stimulus-Responsive Polymer Composite Surface with Magnetic Field-Governed Wetting and Photocatalytic Properties

Abstract

With the increasing demand for liquid manipulation and microfluidic techniques, surfaces with real-time tunable wetting properties are becoming the focus of materials science researches. In this study, we present a simple preparation method for a 0.5–4 µm carbonyl iron (carbonyl Fe) loaded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based magnetic composite coating with magnetic field-tailored wetting properties. Moreover, the embedded 6.3–16.7 wt.% Ag-TiO2 plasmonic photocatalyst (d~50 nm) content provides additional visible light photoreactivity to the external stimuli-responsive composite grass surfaces, while the efficiency of this photocatalytic behavior also turned out to be dependent on the external magnetic field. The inclusion of the photocatalyst introduced hierarchical surface roughness to the micro-grass, resulting in the broadening of the achievable contact and sliding angle ranges. The photocatalyst-infused coatings are also capable of catching and releasing water droplets, which alongside their multifunctional (photocatalytic activity and tunable wetting characteristics) nature makes surfaces of this kind the novel sophisticated tools of liquid manipulation.