We review the rational choice, the analysis, the depletion and the properties imparted by the liquid layer in liquid-infused surfaces – a new class of low-adhesion surface.

This review highlights the importance of flow in medical device thrombosis and explores current and emerging technologies to evaluate dynamic biomaterial Thrombosis in vitro.

Micropatterned polymer surfaces, possessing both topographical and chemical characteristics, were prepared on three-dimensional copper tubes and used to capture atmospheric water. The micropatterns mimic the structure on the back of a desert beetle that condenses water from the air in a very dry environment. The patterned coatings were prepared by the dewetting of thin films of poly-4-vinylpyridine (P4VP) on top of polystyrene films (PS) films, upon solvent annealing, and consist of raised hydrophilic bumps on a hydrophobic background. The size and density distribution of the hydrophilic bumps could be tuned widely by adjusting the initial thickness of the P4VP films: the diameter of the produced bumps and their height could be varied by almost 2 orders of magnitude (1-80 μm and 40-9000 nm, respectively), and their distribution density could be varied by 5 orders of magnitude. Under low subcooling conditions (3 °C), the highest rate of water condensation was measured on the largest (80 μm diameter) hydrophilic bumps and was found to be 57% higher than that on flat hydrophobic films. These subcooling conditions are achieved spontaneously in dew formation, by passive radiative cooling of a surface exposed to the night sky. In effect, the pattern would result in a larger number of dewy nights than a flat hydrophobic surface and therefore increases water capture efficiency. Our approach is suited to fabrication on a large scale, to enable the use of the patterned coatings for water collection with no external input of energy.