Earthworm-Inspired Ultradurable Superhydrophobic Fabrics from Adaptive Wrinkled Skin

Abstract

Wrapped by periodically wrinkled skin, soft earthworm shows excellent robustness against sticky soil. Mimicking this deformation adaptability, here, we report an ultradurable superhydrophobic fabric by exploiting the formation of adaptive, soft wrinkled poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) skins. Uniform wrinkles are created on woven fabric fibers due to the surface instability of PDMS coating with a cross-linking gradient induced by Ar plasma treatment. Both the surface topography of wrinkles and the viscoelasticity of the underlying compliant layer to release stress endow the treated superhydrophobic fabrics with extraordinary durability, withstanding 800 standard laundries or 1000 rubbing cycles under 44.8 kPa. Additionally, superhydrophobic fabrics are self-healable after heating or plasma treatment. This insight of engineering soft skins with periodic submicron surface topography and gradient modulus provides a pathway for the design of ultradurable, multifunctional wearables.