2026.04.20《Sticky yet slippery: Molecular ordering reconciles bubble-surface affinity with ultralow friction at the nanoscale》
在界面科学中，气泡的“粘”与“滑”长期被视为天然对立、不可兼得的两种特性。实现强界面亲和与低摩擦输运的协同共存，是微流控、催化及气液分离等领域长期未解的基础性难题。
FRISIARC团队发表于《Advanced Science》的研究工作，从纳米尺度对这一传统认知进行了重要突破。研究表明，通过调控表面接枝聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）分子刷的有序性，可以同步实现气泡的强粘附与超低摩擦——两个此前被认为互斥的性质。该工作结合气泡探针原子力显微镜与分子动力学模拟，提供了直接的分子层面证据与机理解析：在纳米尺度上同步测量疏水作用力与摩擦力，首次建立了气–液–固界面力学的分子级描述框架；随着PDMS分子链由无序向有序转变，疏水衰减长度（D₀）由约0.8 nm提升至约1.4 nm，同时界面摩擦显著降低，且通过增加刷层厚度可进一步放大这一协同效应；从机制上看，增强的分子有序性与均一性诱导界面水形成规整耗尽层以强化疏水作用，同时气泡滑动过程中聚合物链发生协同倾斜与重排，从而维持分子堆积并降低能量耗散。
该研究从分子层面揭示了“粘-滑”协同的本质机理，打破了长期存在的对立范式，证明强气泡亲和力与超低摩擦可以在分子尺度实现协同共存。相关成果为设计具备可编程润湿、粘附与界面输运性能的自适应软界面提供了通用思路，拓展了气-液-固界面科学的发展方向。
第一作者：张士双；通讯作者：谢磊，曾宏波
In interfacial science, bubble stickiness and slipperiness have long been regarded as mutually exclusive properties. Achieving both strong interfacial affinity and low-friction mobility represents a fundamental challenge that has limited the control of bubble dynamics in microfluidics, catalysis, and gas–liquid separation. Now, FRISIARC researchers have overturned this conventional trade-off in a study published in Advanced Science, demonstrating for the first time at the nanoscale that molecular ordering within surface-tethered polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layers can simultaneously enhance bubble affinity and minimize friction—two properties previously believed to be incompatible. By combining bubble-probe atomic force microscopy (AFM) with molecular dynamics simulations, this work provides direct molecular-level evidence and mechanistic insights. The key advances include: (i) First nanoscale capture of the sticky-slippery paradox: Using bubble-probe AFM, hydrophobic interaction forces and friction forces were simultaneously measured with nanonewton precision, establishing the first molecular-resolution framework for decoding gas–liquid–solid interfacial mechanics; (ii) Molecular ordering breaks the trade-off: Aligning PDMS chains nearly doubles the hydrophobic decay length (D0 from ~0.8 nm to ~1.4 nm) while dramatically reducing friction. Increasing brush thickness amplifies this dual effect, revealing that molecular-scale ordering alone can reconcile strong adhesion with ultralow sliding resistance; (iii) Molecular origins of the counterintuitive sticky-slippery synergy: Enhanced PDMS ordering and homogeneity reorganize disordered interfacial water molecules into a well-defined depletion layer, strengthening hydrophobic interactions. Simultaneously, coherent chain tilting during bubble sliding maintains molecular packing and minimizes energy dissipation. This study resolves a century-old sticky-slippery paradox, demonstrating that strong bubble affinity and ultralow friction can coexist at the molecular scale. The findings establish a versatile blueprint for engineering adaptive soft interfaces with programmable wetting, adhesion, and interfacial transport, opening new frontiers in gas–liquid–solid interfacial science.
First Author: Shishuang Zhang
Corresponding Author: Lei Xie, Hongbo Zeng