Photoresponsive Superhydrophobic Membrane Crosslinked by Bipedal Pillararenes with Patterned Wettability

The facile fabrication of superhydrophobic membrane with patterned and controllable wettability is crucial to the exploitation of precise control of water flow path. Here, an azobenzene-bridged bipedal pillararenes-crosslinked polypseudorotaxane is used to fabricate a superhydrophobic membrane via the combination of electrospraying and breath figure approaches. Regulation of the relative humidity during electrospraying process and the trans-cis isomerization of azobenzene provide the capability to control the water adhesion force of membrane. These rules are applied to engineer the wettability of membrane into various patterns via re-electrospraying or light irradiation with patterned photomask. These efforts demonstrate the potential of polypseudorotaxanes for applications in smart membrane with patterned wettability.

Automated summary

In this study, a superhydrophobic membrane with patterned wettability was fabricated using a polypseudorotaxane, which can be controlled by regulating the relative humidity during electrospraying process and the trans-cis isomerization of azobenzene. The capability to engineer the water adhesion force of the membrane into various patterns was demonstrated through re-electrospraying or light irradiation with patterned photomask, showcasing the potential of polypseudorotaxanes for applications in smart membranes with patterned wettability.