Recently,
crystallization engineering has become a novel processing
technique for various materials, including ceramics, polymers, and
composites. Herein, a novel processing technology of polymers based
on controlled directional crystallization was developed for biomimetic
surfaces and interfaces. Solvent was allowed to come into contact
with a polymer surface for a limited time, followed by controlled
crystallization of the solvent along a temperature gradient perpendicular
to the surface. As a result, perpendicular pores of well-defined patterns
were successfully prepared, as well as adhesive-free strong interfaces
mimicking neuromuscular junctions. By increasing the temperature of
the polymer or solvent contact time, the pore depth and contact angle
increased. Highly hydrophobic surfaces of polycarbonate were efficiently
prepared, and interfacial adhesion with polydimethylsiloxane was improved
by more than 4-fold. This novel processing technique based on crystal
engineering could open completely new application possibilities, particularly
for biomedical devices, soft lithography, microfabrication, soft sensors,
and flexible and stretchable electronics
