MUMBAI, India, Nov. 2 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641086221 A) filed by Indian Institute Of Technology Madras Iit Madras on July 14, 2026, for Interfacial Layer Assisted Replication Of Biological Microstructures Into Pdms For Enhanced Hydrophobicity.
Inventors include Tiju Thomas; Sreeram Krishnamoorthy Kalpathy; and Aneela Perumalla.
The application for the patent was published on October 30, 2026, under issue no. 44/2026.
Abstract: The present invention provides a bio-templated process for fabricating a superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface. A PDMS negative replica (108), bearing micro-cavities (110) inverse to the micro-conical papillae of a periwinkle petal template (102), is formed by replica moulding. A thin, conformal polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) interfacial layer (116) is spin-coated from an aqueous PVA solution (112) onto the negative replica (108) and dried, after which a second PDMS mixture (122) is cast thereon and cured to form a PDMS positive replica (124). The PVA interfacial layer (116) prevents bonding between the two PDMS bodies, enabling clean mechanical peeling while preserving the fidelity of the transferred micro-conical features, and is thereafter rinsed off with water. The patterned PDMS exhibits a water contact angle of approximately 153°, compared with approximately 110° for unpatterned PDMS, without plasma, ultraviolet-ozone, or fluorosilane treatment. [Figure to be published along with abstract: Figure 3]
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
