Switchable Adhesion on Liquid/Solid Interfaces

Construction and application of surfaces with switchable liquid-solid adhesion have generated worldwide interest during the past a few years. These surfaces are of great importance not only for fundamental research but for various practical applications in smart and fluid-controllable devices. This Feature Article reviews several techniques that have been developed to switch the adhesion on liquid/solid interfaces, including tuning the surface chemical composition, tailoring the surface morphology, and applying external stimuli. Particular attention is paid to superhydrophobic surfaces with reversible switching between low-and high-adhesion to water droplets in response to external stimuli. The dynamic behavior of water droplets on such surfaces can be controlled ranging from rolling to pinning state, while maintaining superhydrophobic states. In addition, smart adhesion in oil/water/solid system and platelet/water/solid system are also discussed, which is of importants for application in designing novel anti-bioadhesion materials.