LAUSR

Biomimetic artificial surfaces that enable the manipulation of gas bubble mobility have been explored in a wide range of applications in nanomaterial synthesis, surface defouling, biomedical diagnostics, and therapeutics. Although many superhydrophobic surfaces and isotropic lubricant-infused porous surfaces have been developed to manipulate gas bubbles, the simultaneous control over the adhesion and transport of gas bubbles underwater remains a challenge. Thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs), a class of structured fluids, provide an opportunity to tune the behavior of gas bubbles through LC mesophase transitions using a variety of external stimuli. Using this central idea, we report the design and synthesis of liquid crystal-infused porous surfaces (LCIPS) and elucidate the effects of the LC mesophase on the transport and adhesion of gas bubbles on LCIPS immersed in water. We demonstrate that LCIPS are a promising class of surfaces with an unprecedented level of responsiveness and functionality, which enable the design of cyanobacteria-inspired object movement, smart catalysts, and bubble gating devices to sense and sort volatile organic compounds and control oxygen levels in biomimetic cell cultures. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.