Surface science is a multidisciplinary subject which affects us on a daily basis. Surfaces are of particular interest because the chemical bonding and atomic structure is different at the surface compared to the bulk properties of a material. This interface is of great significance because it is where charge exchange, or new chemical bonds occur. One essential aspect of surface science is surface wettability, which can be harnessed to produce self-cleaning surfaces. This very lucrative notion, where surfaces with low adhesion to liquids, can result in quick and autonomous shedding, has inspired a multitude of device fabrication and implementation. Over the past decade, several self-cleaning surfaces have been fabricated from superhydrophobic surfaces, which depends on a stable interface between solid, liquid and gas. These surfaces, however, are restricted in their applications and fail to operate upon mechanical damage or nonhomogeneous fabrication processes. Recent advances in wettability science have produced omniphobic lubricant-infused surfaces (OLIS). These surfaces are created by tethering a liquid to a surface, providing a stable liquid interface, which results in excellent aqueous and organic liquid repellency, and high robustness toward physical damage. This thesis will encompass an overview of the classical models for surface wettability, new models for liquid mobility, the criteria required to obtain OLIS, as well as some of the biomedical engineering applications fabricated from this technology. Herein, a novel manufacturing process was developed to produce smooth channeled polymeric microfluidic devices from rough 3D printed molds. Additionally, we integrated OLIS technology with electroconductive sensors to create high surface area electroactive material with self-cleaning properties, ideal to combat non-specific adhesion of biomolecules. Furthermore, our fabrication methods are inexpensive and have the potential to be easily integrated into manufacturing processes to create highly functional microfluidic devices, optimal for lab-on-chip diagnostic platforms. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Recent advances in wettability science have produced omniphobic lubricant-infused surfaces (OLIS) inspired by the Nepenthes pitcher plant. These surfaces are created by tethering a liquid to a surface, providing a stable liquid interface, which results in excellent aqueous and organic liquid repellency, as well high robustness toward physical damage and high pressure dispensing scenarios. The motivation for this thesis is to expand on the applications for OLIS devices. Herein, a novel manufacturing process was developed to produce smooth channeled polymeric microfluidic devices from rough 3D printed molds. Additionally, we integrated OLIS technology with electroconductive sensors to create high surface area electroactive material with self-cleaning properties, ideal to combat non-specific adhesion of biomolecules.

Point-of-care testing brings diagnosis and treatment monitoring to the site of the patient. It heavily relies on biosensors, which leverage the interactions between a target biomarker and a bioreceptor, to deliver fast and accurate results. However, non-specific binding of molecules and microorganisms on the biointerface can interfere with biomarker-bioreceptor interactions and diminish a biosensor’s sensitivity, specificity, and stability. In turn, this can lead to false diagnoses and ineffective treatments. Omniphobic-lubricant infused (OLI) coatings exhibit slippery, self-cleaning characteristics that repel untargeted molecules and microorganisms to augment the biosensor’s performance. In this work, we investigate the proficiency of OLI coatings in two specific applications: dissolved oxygen sensing and DNA biosensing. First, in water quality monitoring, an OLI coating is applied to the selectively permeable membranes of a dissolved oxygen sensor. Over a three-week incubation period in an environment with accelerated bacterial growth, the coated membranes exhibit a 160% higher reproducibility (10% deviation in sensitivity) and lower biofilm formation (96° static contact angle) in comparison to unmodified membranes (26%, 32°). The second application is in DNA biosensing, where a novel OLI coating uses carbon dioxide plasma activation to embed oligonucleotide probes. It demonstrates an optimized balance of slippery repellency (76° static contact angle, 10° sliding angle) and biosensing functionality, 19% longer clotting times than conventional blocking conditions, and equal sensitivity to PLL-PEG when capturing target DNA in whole blood. Going forward, our research will continue to expand the use of OLI coatings in biosensing applications, particularly exploiting its antibiofouling and anticoagulative capabilities. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Biosensors are an integral tool in delivering quick and accurate point-of-care diagnosis and treatment monitoring. However, their performance can be impeded by the non-specific binding of undesirable molecules and microorganisms on the sensing surface. Omniphobic lubricant-infused (OLI) coatings have been shown to suppress biofouling and blood clotting on surfaces through exceptional repellency. This thesis focuses on the implementation of OLI coatings in biosensing applications. It investigates the antibiofouling capacity of an OLI coating on a membrane for dissolved oxygen detection. Then, it discusses a novel coating with integrated DNA biosensing functionality for working directly with blood samples. The enclosed work demonstrates that the OLI coating empowers biosensors to deliver more effective point-of-care testing.

This thesis is devoted to several aspects of geometry and morphology in wetting problems and hard sphere packings. First, we propose a new method to simulate wetting and slip on nanostructured substrates: a phase field model associated with a dynamical density theory approach. We showed omniphobicity, meaning repellency, no matter the chemical properties of the liquid on monovalued surfaces, i.e. surfaces without overhangs, which is in contradiction with the macroscopic Cassie-Baxter-Wenzel theory, can produce so-called We checked systematically the impact of the surface parameters on omniphobic repellency, and we show that the key ingredient are line tensions, which emerge from needle shaped surface structures. Geometrical effects have also an important influence on glassy or jammed systems, for example amorphous hard sphere systems in infinite pressure limit. Such hard sphere packings got stuck in a so-called jammed phase, and we shall demonstrate that the local structure in such systems is universal, i.e. independent of the protocol of the generation. For this, robust order parameters - so-called Minkowski tensors - are developed, which overcome robustness deficiencies of widely used order parameters. This leads to a unifying picture of local order parameters, based on geometrical principles. Furthermore, we find with the Minkowski tensor analysis crystallization in jammed sphere packs at the random closed packing point

Cette thèse porte sur différents aspects géométriques et morphologiques concernant des problèmes de mouillage et d'empilement de sphères. Nous proposons tout d'abord une nouvelle méthode de simulation pour étudier le mouillage et le glissement d'un liquide sur une surface nanostructurée: un modèle de champ de phase en lien avec la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité dynamique. Nous étudions grâce à cette méthode la possibilité de transformer une surface quelconque en surface omniphobe (c'est à dire qui repousse tous les liquides). Nous montrons que contrairement à la théorie classique de Cassie-Baxter-Wenzel, il est possible d'inverser la mouillabilité d'une surface en la texturant, et nous montrons qu'une surface monovaluée, i.e. sans constrictions, peut produire un comportement omniphobe c'est à dire repousser tous les liquides grâce à un effet de pointe. La géométrie a également un effet considérable dans les milieux vitreux ou bloqués. Les empilements aléatoires de sphères conduisent par exemple à des état bloqués ("jamming") et nous montrons que la structure locale de ces systèmes est universelle, c'est à dire indépendante de la méthode de préparation. Pour cela, nous introduisons des paramètres d'ordre - les tenseurs de Minkowski - qui suppriment les problèmes de robustesse qu'ont les paramètres d'ordre utilisés classiquement. Ces nouveaux paramètres d'ordre conduisent à une vision unifiée, basée sur des principes géométriques. Enfin, nous montrons grâce aux tenseurs de Minkowski que les empilements de sphères se mettent à cristalliser au delà du point d'empilement aléatoire le plus dense ("random close packing") / This thesis is devoted to several aspects of geometry and morphology in wetting problems and hard sphere packings. First, we propose a new method to simulate wetting and slip on nanostructured substrates: a phase field model associated with a dynamical density theory approach. We showed omniphobicity, meaning repellency, no matter the chemical properties of the liquid on monovalued surfaces, i.e. surfaces without overhangs, which is in contradiction with the macroscopic Cassie-Baxter-Wenzel theory, can produce so-called We checked systematically the impact of the surface parameters on omniphobic repellency, and we show that the key ingredient are line tensions, which emerge from needle shaped surface structures. Geometrical effects have also an important influence on glassy or jammed systems, for example amorphous hard sphere systems in infinite pressure limit. Such hard sphere packings got stuck in a so-called jammed phase, and we shall demonstrate that the local structure in such systems is universal, i.e. independent of the protocol of the generation. For this, robust order parameters - so-called Minkowski tensors - are developed, which overcome robustness deficiencies of widely used order parameters. This leads to a unifying picture of local order parameters, based on geometrical principles. Furthermore, we find with the Minkowski tensor analysis crystallization in jammed sphere packs at the random closed packing point