One-Dimensional Arrays of Sensing Materials Based on Wettability Interface Dewetting Process

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, the demand for various sensors used to perceive the external environment and obtain signals that can be processed by the intelligent core has greatly increased. These sensors include chemical sensors used to imitate human smell and taste, orientation sensors, and light sensors, etc. The challenge that these sensors generally face is a sensitivity problem, given its stringent requirements of miniaturization, arraying, and diversification. The existing sensing materials used to prepare sensors are mainly focused on the most traditional large-area film laying or electrospinning techniques. However, these methods experience difficulty in miniaturization and regular arraying, and sensitivity cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, a new type of technology is much needed to realize the one-dimensional regular array of sensing materials so as to prepare small and accurate sensors. As for the research on the principle of wettability, the precise control of the solid-liquid-gas three-phase contact line provides a possible way for the one-dimensional arrays of sensing materials. Through the control of the three-phase line, the sensing material can be crystallized, aggregated, or accumulated at a precise position to realize one-dimensional arrays. At the same time, due to the comprehensive adjustability of the interface wettability, this method has strong universality and enables preparation of one-dimensional array sensors for many types of sensing materials. In this Account, the authors first summarized the overall research progress in the use of different wettability-controlled interfaces for material one-dimensionalization. Then, the precise dewetting control of the gas-liquid-solid three-phase contact line of three different wettability interfaces is described in detail, and the process of using different shapes, different textures, and different wettability templates to realize sensing materials into one-dimensional is introduced. In the control process, distinctive types of materials are used, ranging from inorganic materials to organic small molecule materials to polymer materials. The applications of these sensors mainly focus on chemical sensing, magnetic field orientation sensing, and photoelectric conversion sensing fields. All these one-dimensional arrayed sensors have the advantages of miniaturization, arraying, and high sensitivity. The combination of molecular structural design of the sensing material and the one-dimensional array of devices greatly improves the sensitivity of the sensor. Finally, we conclude this Account with a perspective on one-dimensional, high-sensitivity, miniaturized arrayed array sensors prepared on the basis of the regulation of different wettability interfaces.