Realization of stretchable metasurface system with adaptive wettability using additive manufacturing

Abstract

This study aims to design a stretchable metasurface system that can adaptively change its wettability using additive manufacturing. The system consists of a stretchable specimen with micro-surface patterns and a bi-layer actuator based on compliant mechanisms. Both the specimen and actuator are manufactured using fused filament fabrication additive manufacturing methods. In the proposed system, the actuator stretches the specimen to modify the aspect ratios of the surface patterns. These changes in aspect ratios reduce the air gaps at the liquid/solid interface, which weakens the hydrophobic properties of the specimen surface. To investigate the effect of changes in pattern aspect ratios on surface wettability, experiment is conducted by dropping water droplets onto the specimen while the actuator stretches it. The contact angles of the droplets are measured to quantify the changes in wettability. Additionally, finite element simulations are performed to analyze the specimen strain distribution under various deformation conditions. This allows the evaluation of precise elongation values and prediction of surface wettability, displaying the potential for surface wettability control. These findings support the implementation of additive manufacturing to fabricate a stretchable metasurface system with adaptive wettability. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.