Multiscale Hierarchical Surface Patterns by Coupling Optical Patterning and Thermal Shrinkage

Herein, a simple hierarchical surface patterning method is presented by effectively combining buckling instability and azopolymer-based surface relief grating inscription. In this technique, submicron patterns are achieved using azopolymers, whereas the microscale patterns are fabricated by subsequent thermal shrinkage. The wetting characterization of various topographically patterned surfaces confirms that the method permits tuning of contact angles and choosing between isotropic and anisotropic wetting. Altogether, this method allows efficient fabrication of hierarchical surfaces over several length scales in relatively large areas, overcoming some limitations of fabricating multiscale roughness in lithography and also methods of creating merely random patterns, such as black silicon processing or wet etching of metals. The demonstrated fine-tuning of the surface patterns may be useful in optimizing surface-related material properties, such as wetting and adhesion, producing substrates that are of potential interest in mechanobiology and tissue engineering.

Automated summary

A simple hierarchical surface patterning method is proposed by combining buckling instability and azopolymer-based surface relief grating inscription, allowing for the fabrication of surfaces with different length scales and the tuning of wetting properties. The demonstrated fine-tuning of the surface patterns may be useful in optimizing material properties related to surfaces and producing substrates of potential interest in mechanobiology and tissue engineering.