Heterogeneous composite materials are widely used in microelectronic, optoelectronic, and flexible devices, yet their reliability is often limited by insufficient interfacial bonding strength and thermal mismatch–induced failure.Here, a generally applicable interfacial enhancement strategy based on microsphere self-assembly mask etching is proposed, in which ordered micro–nano structure arrays are constructed on substrate surfaces to simultaneously improve interfacial mechanical properties and thermal stability.By combining periodic microsphere self-assembled masks with dry etching, structurally consistent micro–nano architectures can be rapidly fabricated on both inorganic and polymer substrates without high-temperature processing.Representative systems including Cu/SiO₂, Cu/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and indium tin oxide (ITO)/PMMA are systematically investigated using nano-scratch, micro-scratch, pull-off, and thermal shock tests.The results show that the micro–nano structures significantly enhance interfacial bonding by increasing the effective contact area and inducing strong mechanical interlocking.For the Cu/SiO₂ system, nanoscale Cu coatings remain intact without delamination under an 80 mN load, while the critical failure load of microscale coatings increases from 6.53 N to 16.62 N.In the Cu/PMMA system, nano-scratch tests reveal an increase in interfacial failure load from 5.53 mN to 45.05 mN, accompanied by a transition from interfacial delamination to coupled coating damage and substrate structural collapse, and the pull-off bonding strength of microscale coatings is further improved by ~49%.Moreover, the micro–nano structures effectively suppress cracking and wrinkling of ITO coatings on PMMA under thermal shock conditions up to 80 °C.This work provides a simple, low-damage, and broadly applicable route for strengthening heterogeneous interfaces and improving thermal reliability in advanced electronic and flexible systems.

Soft structures driven by magnetic fields exhibit the characteristics of being unencumbered and rapidly responsive, enabling the fabrication of various soft robots according to specific requirements. However, soft structures made from a single magnetic material cannot meet the multifunctional demands of practical scenarios, necessitating the development of soft robot fabrication technologies with composite structures of diverse materials. A novel enhanced digital light processing (DLP) 3-dimensional (3D) printing technology has been developed, capable of printing composite magnetic structures with different materials in a single step. Furthermore, a soft robot with a hard magnetic material–superparamagnetic material composite was designed and printed, demonstrating its thermal effect under high-frequency magnetic fields and the editability of the magnetic domains of the hard magnetic material. The robot exhibits a range of locomotive behaviors, including crawling, rolling, and swimming. Under the influence of a 1-Hz actuation magnetic field, the normalized velocities for these modes of motion are recorded as 0.31 body length per second for crawling, 1.88 body length per second for rolling, and 0.14 body length per second for swimming. The robot has demonstrated its capacity to navigate uneven terrain, surmount barriers, and engage in directed locomotion, along with the ability to capture and transport objects. Additionally, it has showcased swimming capabilities within environments characterized by low Reynolds numbers and high fluid viscosities, findings that corroborate simulation analyses. The multimaterial 3D printing technology introduced in this research presents extensive potential for the design and manufacturing of multifunctional soft robots.

Low friction ice sliding interfaces were critical for ski performance optimization. Traditional fluorinated ski waxes have attracted considerable attention for enhancing the hydrophobicity, anti-wearing, and oxidation resistance of ski–ice base. However, the toxicity and complexity of the waxing process limited batch manufacturing of low-cost and non-toxic ski–ice base, what is more, the wax covering on the base wore and failed during skiing due to the friction between ski and ice. Herein, we demonstrated a novel ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composite that could maintain a low coefficient of friction (COF) with about 0.026 for at least 160 min when skiing on the ice. Microcapsule (MS) could release liquid (liquid paraffin (LP)). The released LP further enhanced the hydrophobicity of UHMWPE’s surfaces when friction occurred, which would maintain the stability and durability of the water film, and achieved superior and long-lasting friction resistance. Compared with other microcapsules with lower hydrophobic core, microcapsules with LP performed the best in reducing the friction of ski base from 0.126 to 0.024. Meanwhile, the COF of the surface kept at about 0.02 even after 12 rapid temperature changes. The presented UHMWPE composite of encapsulated liquids showed great potential and broad application owing to its simplicity and efficiency in winter sports.

Publications on underwater drag reduction by gas have been gathered in the present study. Experimental methods, results and conclusions from the publications have been discussed and analyzed. The stable existence of gas is a requirement for underwater drag reduction induced by slippage at the water-solid interface. A superhydrophobic surface can entrap gas in surface structures at the water-solid interface. However, many experimental results have exhibited that the entrapped gas can disappear, and the drag gradually increases until the loss of drag reduction with immersion time and underwater flow. Although some other surface structures were also experimented to hold the entrapped gas, from the analysis of thermodynamics and mechanics, it is difficult to prohibit the removal of entrapped gas in underwater surface structures. Therefore, it is essential to replenish a new gas supply for continued presence of gas at the interface for continued underwater drag reduction. Active gas supplement is an effective method for underwater drag reduction, however, that needs some specific equipment and additional energy to generate gas, which limits its practical application. Cavitation or supercavitation is a method for passive gas generation, but it is only adaptive to certain vehicles with high speed. Lately, even at low speed, the evaporation induced by liquid-gas-solid interface of a transverse microgrooved surface for continued gas supply has been discovered, which should be a promising method for practical application of underwater drag reduction by gas.