Molecularly Engineered Eco-friendly Smart Fabrics with Photoswitchable Wettability: from Highly Hydrophobic to Superhydrophilic

Yi-Ran Wang; Bo-Lun Feng; Hong-Fei Jiang; Lin Zhang; Bin Chen; Hao-Kai Yuan; Lu Wang; Chuan-Yong Zong

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3728-0

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

Molecularly Engineered Eco-friendly Smart Fabrics with Photoswitchable Wettability: from Highly Hydrophobic to Superhydrophilic

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-07-06

- Molecularly Engineered Eco-friendly Smart Fabrics with Photoswitchable Wettability: from Highly Hydrophobic to Superhydrophilic
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Pages: 1-11(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Extreme Environment-tolerant Specialty Chemicals, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
- Author bio：
  
  chm_zongcy@ujn.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3728-0
  CLC：
- Received：09 April 2026，
  
  Accepted：25 April 2026，
  
  Online First：06 July 2026，
  
  Published：2026-05
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Wang, Y. R.; Feng, B. L.; Jiang, H. F.; Zhang, L.; Chen, B.; Yuan, H. K.; Wang, L.; Zong, C. Y. Molecularly engineered eco-friendly smart fabrics with photoswitchable wettability: from highly hydrophobic to superhydrophilic. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3728-0

Yi-Ran Wang, Bo-Lun Feng, Hong-Fei Jiang, et al. Molecularly Engineered Eco-friendly Smart Fabrics with Photoswitchable Wettability: from Highly Hydrophobic to Superhydrophilic[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-11.
Wang, Y. R.; Feng, B. L.; Jiang, H. F.; Zhang, L.; Chen, B.; Yuan, H. K.; Wang, L.; Zong, C. Y. Molecularly engineered eco-friendly smart fabrics with photoswitchable wettability: from highly hydrophobic to superhydrophilic. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3728-0 DOI：

Yi-Ran Wang, Bo-Lun Feng, Hong-Fei Jiang, et al. Molecularly Engineered Eco-friendly Smart Fabrics with Photoswitchable Wettability: from Highly Hydrophobic to Superhydrophilic[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-11. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3728-0.

摘要

Abstract

Bioinspired smart surfaces enable reversible regulation of surface wettability

which is increasingly important for the advancement of surface and interface science. Herein

a novel fluorine-free photoresponsive azo-copolymer was rationally designed and synthesized

via

a molecular engineering strategy involving the synergistic integration o

f photoresponsive azobenzene moieties and low-surface-energy organosilicon segments. A facile solution dip-coating method was employed to construct photoresponsive smart fabric surfaces. Benefiting from the excellent reversible trans-cis isomerization of the azobenzene moieties within the azo-copolymer

the resulting coating achieved a notable surface energy variation of up to 32.75 mN·m

–1

. The as-prepared smart fabrics exhibited rapid

reversible wettability switching between high hydrophobicity (water contact angle of about 135°) and superhydrophilicity (0°) within 120 s under alternating UV and visible light irradiation. Meanwhile

the smart fabric surfaces exhibited outstanding chemical and mechanical robustness

enabling resistance to harsh environmental conditions

repeated abrasion tests

and various mechanical deformations

such as stretching

curling

and folding. More importantly

as a proof-of-concept demonstration

diverse rewritable wettability patterns were conveniently fabricated on a smart fabric surface

via

selective light exposure. This simple and effective strategy

together with the as-developed smart surfaces

holds great promise for application in information storage

biosensors

and microreactors.

关键词

Keywords

references

Zhou, H., Niu, H., Wang, H., Lin, T. Self-healing superwetting surfaces, their fabrications, and properties. Chem. Rev. 2022 , 123 , 663−700..

Zhou, S., Jiang, L., Dong, Z. Overflow control for sustainable development by superwetting surface with biomimetic structure. Chem. Rev. 2022 , 123 , 2276−2310..

Shao, H., Yin, K., Xu, N., Zhang, Y., Shi, Z., Zhou, Y., Luo, Z., Wang, D., Deng, X. Adaptive surfaces with stimuli-responsive wettability: from tailoring to applications. ACS Nano 2025 , 19 , 6729−6747..

Yang, T., Wang, S., Yang, H., Gui, H ., Du, Y., Liang, F. Temperature-triggered dynamic Janus fabrics for smart directional water transport. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023 , 33 , 2214183..

Chen, J., Chen, X., Azhar, U., Yang, X., Zhou, C., Yan, M., Li, H., Zong, C. Flexible and photo-responsive superwetting surfaces based on porous materials coated with mussel-inspired azo-copolymer. Chem. Eng. J. 2023 , 466 , 143176..

Zhang, H., Wang, F., Guo, Z. The antifouling mechanism and application of bio-inspired superwetting surfaces with effective antifouling performance. Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 , 325 , 103097..

Wang, X., Liu, Y., Cheng, H., Ouyang, X. Surface wettability for skin-interfaced sensors and devices. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2022 , 32 , 2200260..

Sun, L., Guo, J., Chen, H., Zhang, D., Shang, L., Zhang, B., Zhao, Y. Tailoring materials with specific wettability in biomedical engineering. Adv. Sci. 2021 , 8 , 2100126..

Xiang, B., Sun, Q., Zhong, Q., Mu, P., Li, J. Current research situation and future prospect of superwetting smart oil/water separation materials. J. Mater. Chem. A 2022 , 10 , 20190−20217..

Rehman, A., Sohail, M., Baig, N., Yuan, K., Abdala, A., Wahab, M.A. Next-generation stimuli-responsive smart membranes: developments in oil/water separation. Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 2025 , 341 , 103487..

Yang, C., Zeng, Q., Huang, J., Guo, Z. Droplet manipulation on superhydrophobic surfaces based on external stimulation: a review. Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 2022 , 306 , 102724..

Lori Zoudani, E., De Saram, P., Feih, S., Vu, H.H., Nguyen, N.T., Kashaninejad, N. Micropatterned surfaces with unidirectional wetting properties for liquid transport. Small Struct. 2026 , 7 , e202500492..

Bai, X., Gou, X., Zhang, J., Liang, J., Yang, L., Wang, S., Hou, X., Chen, F. A review of smart superwetting surfaces based on shape-memory micro/nanostructures. Small 2023 , 19 , 2206463..

Liu, X., Jia, L., Li, Y., Zhao, R., Wu, C., Xie, Z., Cheng, Z., Liu, Y., Zhang, D. Shape memory arrays top coated by adjustabl e mushroom with switchable adhesion to both solid and liquid. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2024 , 34 , 2312869..

Shao, Y., Du, W., Fan, Y., Zhao, J., Zhang, Z., Ren, L. Near-infrared light accurately controllable superhydrophobic surface from water sticking to repelling. Chem. Eng. J. 2022 , 427 , 131718..

Shao, Y., Wang, L., Zhu, D., Li, H., Zhang, Z., Ren, L. Photo/thermal/magnetic triple-stimuli-responsive bioinspired intelligent surface for cross-species functional regulation. Chem. Eng. J. 2026 , 531 , 173978..

Zhou, Y., Yang, G., Wang, Y., Lei, J., Ye, T., Huang, R., Zhan, S., Tang, D. Coordination-driven self-assembly of PNIPAM on MnO2 microflowers/CFC membrane with switchable superwettability for robust photo and thermal dual-responsive oil-water separation. Compos. Part B 2025 , 307 , 112862..

Chen, C., Huang, Z., Zhu, S., Liu, B., Li, J., Hu, Y., Wu, D., Chu, J. In situ electric-induced switchable transparency and wettability on laser-ablated bioinspired paraffin-impregnated slippery surfaces. Adv. Sci. 2021 , 8 , 2100701..

Wang, J., Zhu, Z., Liu, P., Yi, S., Peng, L., Yang, Z., Tian, X., Jiang, L. Magneto-responsive shutter for on-demand droplet manipulation. Adv. Sci. 2021 , 8 , 2103182..

Zhan, Y., Yu, S., Amirfazli, A., Siddiqui, A.R., Li, W. Magnetically responsive superhydrophobic surfaces for microdroplet manipulation. Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2022 , 9 , 2102010..

Rao, Q., Tong, Z., Song, L., Ali, A., Hou, Y., He, Q., Lu, J., Gao, X., Zhan, X., Zhang, Q. NIR-driven fast construction of patterned-wettability on slippery lubricant infused surface for droplet manipulation. Chem. Eng. J. 2022 , 428 , 131141..

Long, J., Liu, S., Li, N., Yuan, G., Liu, Y., Huang, Q., Li, J., Zhang, H., Wang, M. Smart surfaces with pH-responsiveness enhanced by multiscale hierarchical structures fabricated by laser direct writing. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023 , 15 , 56490−56499..

Gan, S., Li, H., Zhu, X., Liu, X., Wei, K., Zhu, L., Wei, B., Luo, X., Zhang, J., Xue, Q. Constructing scalable membrane with tunable wettability by electrolysis-induced interface pH for oil-water separation. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023 , 33 , 2305975..

Chen, S., Li, L., Feng, M., Huang, T., Zhang, N., Wang, Y. UV-activated superwetting ability of electrospun polysulfone/titanium dioxide membranes toward highly efficient methylene blue removal and oil/water separation. J. Membr. Sci. 2024 , 695 , 122450..

Lv, Z., Yang, Y., Zhang, L., Feng, P., Zhai, X., Zhou, C. Reversible conversion superwetting coatings with TiO 2 -based heterojunction materials for enhancing efficient oily water treatment and water purification. J. Hazard. Mater. 2025 , 497 , 139689..

Fu, S., Zhou, Y., Zhao, J., Pei, K., Guo, Z. Emerging light-responsive functional surfaces for droplet manipulation. Appl. Mater. Today 2024 , 40 , 102429..

Lim, H. S., Kwak, D., Lee, D. Y., Lee, S. G., Cho, K. UV-driven reversible switching of a roselike vanadium oxide film between superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007 , 129 , 4128−4129..

Zong, C., Hu, M., Azhar, U., Chen, X., Zhang, Y., Zhang, S., Lu, C. Smart copolymer-functionalized flexible surfaces with photoswitch able wettability: From superhydrophobicity with “rose petal” effect to superhydrophilicity. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019 , 11 , 25436−25444..

Wang, N., Wang, H., Wang, K., Zuo, J., Wang, Z. Reversible dual stimuli-responsive polymer coatings with antimicrobial properties for oil-water separation. J. Water Process Eng. 2025 , 77 , 108484..

Nezhadghaffar-Borhani, E., Abdollahi, A., Roghani-Mamaqani, H., Salami-Kalajahi, M. Photoswitchable surface wettability of ultrahydrophobic nanofibrous coatings composed of spiropyran-acrylic copolymers. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2021 , 593 , 67−78..

Li, C., Zhang, C., Zhao, R., Zhao, N., Liu, R., Zhang, Y., Jia, M., Wang, S. Porous electrospun films with reversible photoresponsive microenvironmental humidity regulation: a controllable hydrogen-bonding synergistic effect exhibited by acrylic acid segments. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023 , 15 , 6187−6201..

Ichimura, K., Oh, S. K., Nakagawa, M. Light-driven motion of liquids on a photoresponsive surface. Science 2000 , 288 , 1624−1626..

Zhang, Z., Chen, D., Mutruc, D., Hecht, S., Heinke, L. Optical and chemical control of the wettability of nanoporous photoswitchable films. Chem. Commun. 2022 , 58 , 13963−13966..

Manabe, K., Saito, K., Nakano, M., Ohzono, T., Norikane, Y.Light-driven liquid conveyors: Manipulating liquid mobility and transporting solids on demand. ACS Nano 2022 , 16 , 16353−16362..

Herrera, J.M., Penoff, M.E., Galante, M.J. Reversible photo-controllable surface wettability of epoxy-polyurethane smart coating. Prog. Org. Coat. 2023 , 179 , 107509..

Feng, B., Zhai, C., Zhang, D., Guo, H., Zhang, H., Zhang, L., Li, H., Wang, L., Lei, L., Zong, C. Robust photo-responsive superwetting surfaces on hierarchical-structured copper mesh via dip-coating with mussel-inspired azo-copolymer. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025 , 43 , 1134−1145..

Pafiti, K.S., Loizou, E., Patrickios, C.S., Porcar, L. End-Linked semifluorinated amphiphilic polymer conetworks: Synthesis by sequential reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and characterization. Macromolecules 2010 , 43 , 5195−5204..

Wang, T., Yang, J., Cao, Q., Pu, X., Li, Y., Chen, H., Zhao, J., Zhang, Y., Chen, X., Li, X. Room temperature nondestructive encapsulation via self-crosslinked fluorosilicone polymer enables damp heat-stable sustainable perovskite solar cells. Nat. Commun. 2023 , 14 , 1342..

Hartley, G.S. The cis-form of azobenzene. Nature 1937 , 140 , 281−281..

Zong, C., Zhao, Y., Ji, H., Han, X., Xie, J., Wang, J., Cao, Y., Jiang, S., Lu, C. Tuning and erasing surface wrinkles by reversible visible-light-induced photoisomerization. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016 , 55 , 3931−3935..

Bandara, H.D., Burdette, S.C. Photoisomerization in different classes of azobenzene. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2012 , 41 , 1809−1825..

Kumar, G., Neckers, D. Photochemistry of azobenzene-containing polymers. Chem. Rev. 1989 , 89 , 1915−1925..

Zhang, P ., Lan, Z., Wei, J., Yu, Y. Photodeformable azobenzene-containing polyimide with flexible linkers and molecular alignment. ACS Macro Lett. 2021 , 10 , 469−475..

Zhou, C., Zhao, X., Zhao, X., Li, H., Zhang, S., Feng, W., Zhang, Y. Low ice adhesion surfaces based on flexible fluorinated polymers with a polynorbornene backbone. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020 , 12 , 53494−53502..

Babazadeh-Mamaqani, M., Roghani-Mamaqani, H., Rezaei, M., Salami-Kalajahi, M. Photo-induced time-dependent controllable wettability of dual-responsive multi-functional electrospun MXene/polymer fibers. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2025 , 678 , 1048−1063..

Kang, H., Liu, Y., Lai, H., Yu, X., Cheng, Z., Jiang, L. Under-oil switchable superhydrophobicity to superhydrophilicity transition on TiO 2 nanotube arrays. ACS Nano 2018 , 12 , 1074−1082..

Yang, D., Zeng, Q., Tan, K., Hou, H., Fang, X., Guo, C., Yuan, H., Meng, T. Lipase-entrapped colloidosomes with light-responsive wettability for efficient and recyclable Pickering interfacial biocatalysis. Green Chem. 2024 , 26 , 10824−10828..

Domalanta, M. R. B., Ali, M. R. R., Maalihan, R. D., Caldona, E. B. Photo-and thermoresponsive reversible wettability and corrosion protection of electrophoretically deposited TiO 2 /Pectin composite coatings. Langmuir 2025 , 41 , 11958−11967..

Gao, H. P., Chang, S. Y., Liu, Y., Meng, Z., Han, Z. W., Ren, L. Q. Interlaced wetting surfaces with switchable wettability for manipulating underwater oil droplets. Chem. Eng. J. 2022 , 437 , 135007..

Juan, L., Chenxi, Y., Ziru, N., Shenglan, Y., Dongwen, H. Fabrication of flexible photo-responsive mesh with reversible wettability and enhanced mechanical damage resistance for efficient oil/ water separation. J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 2024 , 12 , 114857..

Shen, J., Yuan, Y.Z., Yu, H.M., Tian, X.H., Zhang, Y. Smart wood membrane with reversible photo-responsive wettability for intelligent oil-water separation. Chem. Eng. J. 2026 , 531 , 173904..

Hu, W.H., Huang, J.G., Zhang, X., Zhao, S.P., Pei, L., Zhang, C.Y., Liu, Y.Q., Wang, Z. A mechanically robust and reversibly wettable benzoxazine/epoxy/mesoporous TiO 2 coating for oil/water separation. Appl. Surf. Sci. 2020 , 507 , 145168..

Li, Y.L., Shi, B.Y., Luan, X.Y., Hao, Z.H., Wang, Y.F. Achieving reversible superhydrophobic-superhydrophilic switching of lignocellulosic paper surface with modified nano-TiO 2 coating. Polym. Test. 2022 , 116 , 107789..

Yao, F., Wei, J., Xu, Y.J., Tu, H., Huang, M., Tang, Q.F., Zhao, S., Wang, J. Light-trapping superhydrophobic coatings with switchable wettability to solve low-temperature anti-icing/deicing and high-temperature overheating problems on surfaces. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2025 , 699 , 138275..

Abraham, S., Kumaran, S.K., Montemagno, C.D. Gas-switchable carbon nanotube/polymer hybrid membrane for separation of oil-in-water emulsions. RSC Adv. 2017 , 7 , 39465−39470..

Yin, H., Zhan, F., Li, Z., Huang, H., Marcasuzaa, P., Luo, X., Feng, Y., Billon, L. CO 2 -Triggered ON/OFF wettability switching on bioinspired polylactic acid porous films for controllable bioadhesion. Biomacromolecules 2021 , 22 , 1721−1729..

Qi, Z., Liu, Y., Gao, Q., Tao, D., Wang, Y., Guo, J., Yu, Y. CO 2 -responsive nanofibrous membranes with gas-tunable wettability for switchable oil/water separation. React. Funct. Polym. 2023 , 182 , 105481..

Li, X., Liu, J., Qu, R., Zhang, W., Liu, Y., Zhai, H., Wei, Y., Hu, H., Feng, L. Universal and tunableliquid-liquid separation by nanoparticle-embedded gating membranes based on a self-defined interfacial parameter. Nat. Commun. 2021 , 12 , 80..

Li, L., Rong, L., Xu, Z., Wang, B., Feng, X., Mao, Z., Xu, H., Yuan, J., Liu, S., Sui, X. Cellulosic sponges with pH responsive wettability for efficient oil-water separation. Carbohydr. Polym. 2020 , 237 , 116133..

Qian, C., Li, F., Qu, J., Guo, J., Liu, J., Yang, L. The fabrication and research of pH-responsive cement-based materials with switchable wettability. J. Build. Eng. 2024 , 94 , 109946..

Choi, E., Byun, S., Jeong, S. Fabrication and evaluation of pH-sensitive chitosan-coated membranes for enhanced oil emulsion filtration. Membranes 2025 , 15 , 252..

[Song, Y., Zhang, L., Dong, L., Li, H., Yu, Z., Liu, Y., Lv, G., Ma, H. pH-responsive smart wettability surface with dual bactericidal and releasing properties. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2021, 13 , 46065-46075..

Zhang, W., Liu, N., Zhang, Q., Qu, R., Liu, Y., Li, X., Wei, Y., Feng, L., Jiang, L. Thermo-driven controllable emulsion separation by a polymer-decorated membrane with switchable wettability. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018 , 57 , 5740−5745..

Banuprasad, T.N., Vinay, T.V., Subash, C.K., Varghese, S., George, S.D., Varanakkottu, S.N. Fast transport of water droplets over a thermo-switchable surface using rewritable wettability gradient. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2017 , 9 , 28046−28054..

Marri, G.K., Kumar, N., Sett, S. Phase-variant lubricant-infused surfaces with thermoresponsive wettability switching. ACS Mater. Lett. 2025 , 7 , 3537−3544..

Dou, J., Ma, L., Lin, S., Lu, J., Zhang, C., Li, Z., Jiang, H., Shi, G., Cui, Y., Zhang, L. Thermo-responsive reverse osmosis membranes with switchable wettability for enhanced antifouling and self-cleaning performance. J. Membr. Sci . 2026 , 741 , 125034..

Wang, Y., Sun, Y., Xue, Y., Sui, X., Yuan, B., Wang, Y., Liang, W. Functional surfaces with reversibly switchable wettability: Fundamentals, progresses, applications and challenges. Prog. Org. Coat. 2024 , 188 , 108167..

Cai, Y., Cui, Q.Y., Zhang, H.R., Ma, X.L., Xue, M.Q. Promoted non-enzymatic glucose sensor based on synergistic effect of hydrothermal synthesized Ni(OH) 2 -graphene Nanocomposite. Chem. Res. Chin. Univ. 2024 , 40 , 914−921..

Views

Downloads

CSCD

Alert me when the article has been cited

Submit

Tools

Publicity Resources

Robust Photo-responsive Superwetting Surfaces on Hierarchical-structured Copper Mesh via Dip-coating with Mussel-inspired Azo-copolymer

Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Prolonged Recovery Onset Period of Timed Shape Memory Hydrogels via Hydrophobic Interaction

Scalable Synthesis of Flexible Polyimide/ZrO2 Composite Aerogels with Ultra-low Thermal Conductivity and High-temperature Resistance

Nanopore-based Manipulation and Separation of Single-stranded DNA Molecules through Tuning pH Values

Molecular Weight Distribution Effects on the Structural and Mechanical Performance of Conjugated Polymers Incorporating Flexible Spacers: A Simulation Study

Related Author

Bo-Lun Feng

Cong-Cong Zhai

De-Bin Zhang

Hao-Chen Guo

Hou-Li Zhang

Lin Zhang

Hui Li

Lu Wang

Related Institution

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fluorine Chemistry and Chemical Materials, University of Jinan

Shandong Institute of Non-Metallic Materials

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University

⁰