Functional Surfaces by Nano- and Microscale Fabrication of Soft Materials

In this talk, we explore the development of functional surfaces that interact with light, bypassing the need for complex and expensive fabrication methods. Traditional approaches for producing such surfaces often involve lengthy fabrication processes or are restricted to a millimetric scale, limiting their practicality and versatility. What is the alternative? My focus lies on leveraging self-assembly as a key process to achieve the basic, periodic, and ordered structures essential for light manipulation. Self-assembly presents a promising avenue for fabricating functional surfaces due to its ability to spontaneously organize materials into specific patterns without the need for external control. Processes like colloidal self-assembly and breath figure patterning can meet the challenge of obtaining well-ordered structures that effectively interact with light in desirable ways. Furthermore, we explore transformation techniques that enable the conversion of the obtained structures, facilitating their transfer from one substrate to another, material substitution, and tailored modifications to meet specific application requirements. These transformation techniques allow us to customize the surface properties to suit the intended application, ensuring optimal performance and functionality. [IMMAGINE_01] The potential benefits of this research are vast, as it paves the way for the development of practical and cost-effective light-interacting surfaces for diverse applications, including optics, photonics, sensors, and beyond. By reducing reliance on complex and costly instrumentation, our approach holds promise for enabling the widespread adoption of functional surfaces that seamlessly integrate with light for a multitude of purposes.