Micropatterned Hydrogel-Elastomer Hybrids for Flexible Wet-Style Superhydrophobic Antifogging Tapes

Transparent materials widely used in applications such as eyewear, solar cells, and optical devices, often suffer from environmental challenges including fogging, surface contamination, and mechanical deformation. However, a universal strategy that resolves all these issues in a single platform remains to be resolved. Herein, a monolithic micropillar structure based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer is prepared followed by subsequent assembly of hydrogel micropatterns in between the micropillar array using inkjet printing to achieve flexible wet-style superhydrophobic antifogging tapes that are applicable to various transparent materials and curvatures. The monolithic micropillar structure with low-surface-energy characteristics facilitates easy removal of surface contaminants by rinsing with water while granting mechanical durability. In addition, micropatterning of hydrogels via inkjet printing not only enables to maintain optical transparency in a fogging environment but also makes the fabrication procedure more scalable. Furthermore, the strong adhesion between the hydrogel and the elastomer is shown to provide enhanced stability under repeated stretching cycles and long-term exposure to water while the presence of a loosely cross-linked PDMS at the bottom of the tape made it applicable to a wide range of transparent substrates without using additional adhesives. A new surface design strategy is presented that can be applied to various transparent materials for simultaneously achieving antifogging and self-cleaning properties. The monolithic micropillar structure ensures stability and facilitates easy contaminant removal while the hydrogel patterns guide water condensation, preserving optical transparency in fogging conditions. Also, the loosely cross-linked PDMS bottom enables wide substrate applicability without extra adhesives. image