Achieving exceptional water-repellency and reliable reversible adhesion is crucial for the development of wearable flexible electronics. However, simultaneously achieving these properties presents a significant challenge, as water-repellency requires maximizing the presence of air while robust adhesion necessitates enhancing the solid fraction. In this study, we present a flexible and transparent conductive patch that addresses this challenge by offering simultaneous robust superhydrophobicity and strong adhesion in both dry and wet conditions. The device incorporates a unique combination of overhang micropillars, microgrids and a percolating network of carbon nanotubes. The proposed patch demonstrates outstanding water repellency with a contact angle exceeding 150°, while delivering impressive dry adhesion (>200 kPa) and wet adhesion (>150 kPa) performance. Furthermore, the device exhibits tunable electrical conductivity and optical transmittance.

1.
W. G.
Bae
,
H. N.
Kim
,
D.
Kim
,
S. H.
Park
,
H. E.
Jeong
, and
K. Y.
Suh
, “
25th Anniversary article: Scalable multiscale patterned structures inspired by nature: The role of Hierarchy
,”
Adv. Mater.
26
,
675
(
2014
).
2.
B.
Bhushan
, “
Lessons from nature for green science and technology: An overview and bioinspired superliquiphobic/philic surfaces
,”
Philos. Trans. R. Soc. A
377
,
20180274
(
2019
).
3.
S. L.
Dong
,
X. L.
Zhang
,
Q.
Li
,
C. D.
Liu
,
T. Y.
Ye
,
J. C.
Liu
,
H.
Xu
,
X. G.
Zhang
,
J.
Liu
,
C. Z.
Jiang
,
L. J.
Xue
,
S. K.
Yang
, and
X. H.
Xiao
, “
Springtail-inspired superamphiphobic ordered nanohoodoo arrays with quasi-doubly reentrant structures
,”
Small
16
,
2000779
(
2020
).
4.
S. M.
Kang
and
J. S.
Choi
, “
Selective liquid sliding surfaces with springtail-inspired concave mushroom-like micropillar arrays
,”
Small
16
,
1904612
(
2020
).
5.
H.
Kim
,
H.
Han
,
S.
Lee
,
J.
Woo
,
J.
Seo
, and
T.
Lee
, “
Nonfluorinated superomniphobic surfaces through shape-tunable mushroom-like polymeric micropillar arrays
,”
ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces
11
,
5484
(
2019
).
6.
D.
Nepal
,
S.
Kang
,
K. M.
Adstedt
,
K.
Kanhaiya
,
M. R.
Bockstaller
,
L. C.
Brinson
,
M. J.
Buehler
,
P. V.
Coveney
,
K.
Dayal
,
J. A.
El-Awady
,
L. C.
Henderson
,
D. L.
Kaplan
,
S.
Keten
,
N. A.
Kotov
,
G. C.
Schatz
,
S.
Vignolini
,
F.
Vollrath
,
Y.
Wang
,
B. I.
Yakobson
,
V. V.
Tsukruk
, and
H.
Heinz
, “
Hierarchically structured bioinspired nanocomposites
,”
Nat. Mater.
22
,
18
(
2023
).
7.
R. J.
Jiang
,
L. W.
Hao
,
L. J.
Song
,
L. M.
Tian
,
Y.
Fan
,
J.
Zhao
,
C. Z.
Liu
,
W. H.
Ming
, and
L. Q.
Ren
, “
Lotus-leaf-inspired hierarchical structured surface with non-fouling and mechanical bactericidal performances
,”
Chem. Eng. J.
398
,
125609
(
2020
).
8.
P. P.
Goodwyn
,
E.
De Souza
,
K.
Fujisaki
, and
S.
Gorb
, “
Moulding technique demonstrates the contribution of surface geometry to the super-hydrophobic properties of the surface of a water strider
,”
Acta Biomater.
4
,
766
(
2008
).
9.
J. S.
Koh
,
E.
Yang
,
G. P.
Jung
,
S. P.
Jung
,
J. H.
Son
,
S. I.
Lee
,
P. G.
Jablonski
,
R. J.
Wood
,
H. Y.
Kim
, and
K. J.
Cho
, “
Jumping on water: Surface tension-dominated jumping of water striders and robotic insects
,”
Science
349
,
517
(
2015
).
10.
K.
Autumn
,
Y. A.
Liang
,
S. T.
Hsieh
,
W.
Zesch
,
W. P.
Chan
,
T. W.
Kenny
,
R.
Fearing
, and
R. J.
Full
, “
Adhesive force of a single gecko foot-hair
,”
Nature
405
,
681
(
2000
).
11.
J. M. R.
Bullock
and
W.
Federle
, “
The effect of surface roughness on claw and adhesive hair performance in the dock beetle Gastrophysa viridula
,”
Insect Sci.
18
,
298
(
2011
).
12.
G.
Carbone
,
E.
Pierro
, and
S. N.
Gorb
, “
Origin of the superior adhesive performance of mushroom-shaped microstructured surfaces
,”
Soft Matter
7
,
5545
(
2011
).
13.
H.
Yi
,
S. H.
Lee
,
M.
Seong
,
M. K.
Kwak
, and
H. E.
Jeong
, “
Bioinspired reversible hydrogel adhesives for wet and underwater surfaces
,”
J. Mater. Chem. B
6
,
8064
(
2018
).
14.
C. B.
Dayan
,
S.
Chun
,
N.
Krishna-Subbaiah
,
D. M.
Drotlef
,
M. B.
Akolpoglu
, and
M.
Sitti
, “
3D printing of elastomeric bioinspired complex adhesive microstructures
,”
Adv. Mater.
33
,
2103826
(
2021
).
15.
D. Y.
Hou
,
K. S. S.
Christie
,
K.
Wang
,
M.
Tang
,
D. W.
Wang
, and
J.
Wang
, “
Biomimetic superhydrophobic membrane for membrane distillation with robust wetting and fouling resistance
,”
J Membr. Sci
599
,
117708
(
2020
).
16.
Q. Y.
Zeng
,
C. Y.
Zheng
,
K.
Han
,
W. D.
Wu
,
H. F.
Qi
,
K.
Wang
,
P.
Sahu
,
R. X.
Dong
, and
T. L.
Lu
, “
A biomimic superhydrophobic and anti-blood adhesion coating
,”
Prog. Org. Coat.
140
,
105498
(
2020
).
17.
Y. H.
Liu
,
L.
Moevius
,
X. P.
Xu
,
T. Z.
Qian
,
J. M.
Yeomans
, and
Z. K.
Wang
, “
Pancake bouncing on superhydrophobic surfaces
,”
Nat. Phys.
10
,
515
(
2014
).
18.
B.
Soltannia
and
D.
Sameoto
, “
Strong, reversible underwater adhesion via gecko-inspired hydrophobic fibers
,”
ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces
6
,
21995
(
2014
).
19.
A. Y.
Stark
,
T. W.
Sullivan
, and
P. H.
Niewiarowski
, “
The effect of surface water and wetting on gecko adhesion
,”
J. Exp. Biol.
215
,
3080
(
2012
).
20.
T.
Kim
,
J.
Park
,
J.
Sohn
,
D.
Cho
, and
S.
Jeon
, “
Bioinspired, highly stretchable, and conductive dry adhesives based on 1D-2D hybrid carbon nanocomposites for all-in-one ECG electrodes
,”
ACS Nano
10
,
4770
(
2016
).
21.
S. S.
Kwak
,
S.
Yoo
,
R.
Avila
,
H.
Chung
,
H.
Jeong
,
C.
Liu
,
J. L.
Vogl
,
J.
Kim
,
H. J.
Yoon
,
Y.
Park
,
H.
Ryu
,
G.
Lee
,
J.
Kim
,
J.
Koo
,
Y. S.
Oh
,
S.
Kim
,
S.
Xu
,
Z.
Zhao
,
Z.
Xie
,
Y.
Huang
, and
J. A.
Rogers
, “
Skin-integrated devices with soft, holey architectures for wireless physiological monitoring, with applications in the neonatal intensive care unit
,”
Adv. Mater.
33
,
2103974
(
2021
).
22.
B.
Park
,
J. U.
Kim
,
J.
Kim
,
D.
Tahk
,
C.
Jeong
,
J.
Ok
,
J. H.
Shin
,
D.
Kang
, and
T. I.
Kim
, “
Strain-visualization with ultrasensitive nanoscale crack-based sensor assembled with hierarchical thermochromic membrane
,”
Adv. Funct. Mater.
29
,
1903360
(
2019
).
23.
H. L.
Fan
and
J. P.
Gong
, “
Bioinspired underwater adhesives
,”
Adv. Mater.
33
,
2102983
(
2021
).
24.
J.
Wu
,
H. D.
Lei
,
X. Z.
Fang
,
B.
Wang
,
G.
Yang
,
R. K.
O'Reilly
,
Z. K.
Wang
,
Z.
Hua
, and
G. M.
Liu
, “
Instant strong and responsive underwater adhesion manifested by bioinspired supramolecular polymeric adhesives
,”
Macromolecules
55
,
2003
(
2022
).
25.
J. G.
Ok
,
M. K.
Kwak
,
C. M.
Huard
,
H. S.
Youn
, and
L. J.
Guo
, “
Photo-roll lithography (PRL) for continuous and scalable patterning with application in flexible electronics
,”
Adv. Mater.
25
,
6554
(
2013
).
26.
V.
Liimatainen
,
D. M.
Drotlef
,
D.
Son
, and
M.
Sitti
, “
Liquid-superrepellent bioinspired fibrillar adhesives
,”
Adv. Mater.
32
,
2000497
(
2020
).
27.
D.
Chandra
and
S.
Yang
, “
Stability of high-aspect-ratio micropillar arrays against adhesive and capillary forces
,”
Acc. Chem. Res.
43
,
1080
(
2010
).
28.
D.
Liao
,
M. H.
He
, and
H. H.
Qiu
, “
High-performance icephobic droplet rebound surface with nanoscale doubly reentrant structure
,”
Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer
133
,
341
(
2019
).
29.
J. R.
Panter
,
Y.
Gizaw
, and
H.
Kusumaatmaja
, “
Multifaceted design optimization for superomniphobic surfaces
,”
Sci. Adv.
5
,
eaav7328
(
2019
).
30.
Y.
Hou
,
Y. Z.
Li
,
Y. Q.
Li
,
D.
Li
,
T. L.
Guo
,
X.
Deng
,
H. P.
Zhang
,
C. M.
Xie
, and
X.
Lu
, “
Tuning water-resistant networks in mussel- inspired hydrogels for robust wet tissue and bioelectronic adhesion
,”
ACS Nano
17
,
2745
(
2023
).
31.
J. H.
Liu
,
X. M.
Yang
,
M.
Xu
,
H. N.
Zhu
,
Y.
Cheng
,
S. J.
Li
,
T. C.
Li
,
Y. H.
Jiao
, and
H. Z.
Song
, “
Highly stretchable, self-adhesive, ambient-stable, and wide-temperature adaptable hydrophobic ionogels for wearable strain sensors
,”
J. Mater. Chem. C
11
,
1184
(
2023
).
32.
D.
Qin
,
Y. N.
Xia
, and
G. M.
Whitesides
, “
Soft lithography for micro- and nanoscale patterning
,”
Nat. Protoc.
5
,
491
(
2010
).
33.
M. H.
Seong
,
I.
Hwang
,
J.
Lee
, and
H. E.
Jeong
, “
A pressure-insensitive self-attachable flexible strain sensor with bioinspired adhesive and active CNT layers
,”
Sensors
20
,
6965
(
2020
).
34.
M. R.
Klittich
,
M. C.
Wilson
,
C.
Bernard
,
R. M.
Rodrigo
,
A. J.
Keith
,
P. H.
Niewiarowski
, and
A.
Dhinojwala
, “
Influence of substrate modulus on gecko adhesion
,”
Sci. Rep.
7
,
43647
(
2017
).
35.
X. M.
Ye
,
J.
Ma
,
Y. S.
Hu
,
H. Y.
Wei
, and
F. F.
Ye
, “
MWCNT porous microspheres with an efficient 3D conductive network for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries
,”
J. Mater. Chem. A
4
,
775
(
2016
).
36.
M.
Seong
,
I.
Hwang
,
S.
Park
,
H.
Jang
,
G.
Choi
,
J.
Kim
,
S. K.
Kim
,
G. H.
Kim
,
J.
Yeo
, and
H. E.
Jeong
, “
Enhanced thermal transport across self-interfacing van der Waals contacts in flexible thermal devices
,”
Adv. Funct. Mater.
31
,
2107023
(
2021
).
37.
P.
Won
,
K. K.
Kim
,
H.
Kim
,
J. J.
Park
,
I.
Ha
,
J.
Shin
,
J.
Jung
,
H.
Cho
,
J.
Kwon
,
H.
Lee
, and
S. H.
Ko
, “
Transparent soft actuators/sensors and camouflage skins for imperceptible soft robotics
,”
Adv. Mater.
33
,
2002397
(
2021
).
38.
I.
Hwang
,
M.
Seong
,
H.
Yi
,
H.
Ko
,
H. H.
Park
,
J.
Yeo
,
W. G.
Bae
,
H. W.
Park
, and
H. E.
Jeong
, “
Low-resistant electrical and robust mechanical contacts of self-attachable flexible transparent electrodes with patternable circuits
,”
Adv. Funct. Mater.
30
,
2000458
(
2020
).
39.
S. M.
Kang
, “
Role of wide tip of mushroom-like micropillar arrays to make the Cassie state on superrepellent surfaces
,”
RSC Adv.
6
,
74670
(
2016
).
40.
S. M.
Kang
,
S. M.
Kim
,
H. N.
Kim
,
M. K.
Kwak
,
D. H.
Tahk
, and
K. Y.
Suh
, “
Robust superomniphobic surfaces with mushroom-like micropillar arrays
,”
Soft Matter
8
,
8563
(
2012
).
41.
T. Y.
Liu
and
C. J.
Kim
, “
Turning a surface superrepellent even to completely wetting liquids
,”
Science
346
,
1096
(
2014
).
42.
Y.
Zhang
,
K.
Sun
,
Y.
Xie
,
K.
Liang
,
J.
Zhang
, and
Y.
Fan
, “
Reversible bonding of microfluidics: Review and applications
,”
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
94
,
061501
(
2023
).
43.
E.
Arzt
,
H. C.
Quan
,
R. M.
McMeeking
, and
R.
Hensel
, “
Functional surface microstructures inspired by nature-From adhesion and wetting principles to sustainable new devices
,”
Prog. Mater. Sci.
120
,
100823
(
2021
).

Supplementary Material

You do not currently have access to this content.