Bioinspired nanopatterned surfaces via colloidal templating; a pathway for tuning wetting and adhesion

We can learn from nature that, next to chemistry, surface structures can be used for tuning different functions of surfaces. In this thesis we present a novel fabrication method using colloidal templating on the air/water interface. Two distinct ways to obtain nanopatterned surfaces are described, namely (i) addition of PDMS on top of the colloidal monolayer and (ii) synthesis of polypyrrole around the particles of the monolayer. An increase in adhesion is found for the nanopatterned PDMS surfaces, and the contact angle of water on the nanopatterned polypyrrole surface is increased.