Bell‐Shaped Superhydrophilic–Superhydrophobic–Superhydrophilic Double Transformation on a pH‐Responsive Smart Surface

Abstract

Superhydrophobic to neutral water droplets, superhydrophilic to acidic or basic. This double transition of surface wettability in response to a single stimulus – pH – is demonstrated for the first time. The smart surface is composed of a rough gold surface modified with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) containing three thiols, HS(CH2)11CH3, HS(CH2)10COOH, and HS(CH2)11NH2. A ternary diagram is generated that describes wettability as a function of the SAM composition and the pH of the surrounding solution. As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer reviewed and may be re-organized for online delivery, but are not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from supporting information (other than missing files) should be addressed to the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.