Bubble-Guided Self-Healing Superhydrophobic Surfaces with Dual-Mode In Situ Visual Monitoring

Superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit great application potential ranging from sophisticated droplet manipulation to aerospace and other fields, owing to their unique properties such as liquid repellent, anti-corrosion, anti-icing, drag reduction, and so on. However, maintaining the stability of the solid-liquid interface remains a major challenge: the instability of the three-phase line caused by the collapse of the air layer during dynamic transport and the degradation of surface function caused by the retention of micro-nano contaminants seriously undermine its durability. In nature, rice leaves possess oriented microgroove architectures for unidirectional droplet transport, while submerged photosynthetic plants continuously generate bubbles to sustain intact solid-air-liquid (SAL) composite layers. Inspired by these merits, we propose a directional confinement-transport strategy, in which the microcolumn structure achieves dynamic compensation of the interfacial air layer through precise submillimeter bubble manipulation and establishes a cooperative stabilization of "structural confinement-air self-replenishment". The surface demonstrates exceptional self-cleaning and no loss transport behaviors, vastly expanding its applicability in extreme environments. In addition, we construct a monitoring system based on interfacial chemical reactions, which enables in situ visual monitoring of the surface wetting state and can restore its superhydrophobicity on demand. In essence, this approach not only benefits the development of the superhydrophobic field, but also provides valuable theoretical foundations and practical guidance for constructing multifunctional stable interfaces, thereby propelling the field toward practical applications.