Curved hierarchically micro-micro structured polypropylene surfaces by injection molding

Structural hierarchy of polymer surfaces has been of central interest due to its diverse surface functionalities. However, the research on hierarchically structured polymer surfaces has been focused on planar surfaces even though applications may also be variously curved. This study demonstrates the fabrication of curved rigid polymer surfaces with precisely controlled hierarchical microstructures. The surface structuration was made on an aluminum foil with a microworking robot, and polypropylene replicas were produced by injection molding. Depending on the mold structuration procedure, the curved mold can have either radially or vertically oriented structures. Both convex and concave curvatures were here applied to spherically and cylindrically curved surfaces. A simple structure protection technique was applied to support the structures during mechanical bending of the foil. The planar hierarchically microstructured polypropylene surfaces were characterized to exhibit superhydrophobicity, and similar structures were obtained on the curved surfaces. Introducing the curvature to the hierarchically structured surfaces may further widen the applicability of functionalized polymer surfaces.