Supporting data for Mechanism-Guided Water-Soluble Tape Transfer for Conformal Micro/Nanopattern Printing on Soft and Curved Substrates

Conformal transfer of micro- and nanoscale patterns onto soft and curved substrates remains a critical challenge for emerging applications in bioelectronics, wearable devices, and soft interfaces, where conventional mechanical peeling, solvent-assisted release, or thermal processes often lead to structural damage, contamination, or poor fidelity. In this thesis, a water-soluble tape transfer (WTT) strategy is developed to enable rapid, residue-free, and conformal printing of micro/nanopatterns onto diverse soft and curved surfaces. Distinct from dissolution-driven release mechanisms, WTT operates through a hydration-induced, stress-assisted self-peeling process, in which non-uniform water absorption by the poly(vinyl alcohol) backing layer leads to localized swelling, stress accumulation, and spontaneous interfacial debonding.Direct experimental evidence, including in situ deformation tracking and residue analysis, reveals that structural integrity of the water-soluble tape during hydration is essential for effective stress buildup and clean transfer, whereas fiber-based tapes undergo collapse and leave persistent interfacial residues.The transfer efficiency is systematically investigated as a function of substrate mechanical modulus, surface curvature, and interfacial chemistry. A critical modulus threshold is identified, below which substrate deformation dissipates swelling-induced stress and suppresses self-peeling. An empirical curvature-dependent model is established to quantify efficiency decay on highly curved surfaces. Furthermore, surface chemical effects are rationalized through controlled surface modification, particle size distribution, and zeta potential analysis.Finally, the generality and robustness of the WTT strategy are demonstrated through conformal printing on diverse soft substrates, transfer of multiple functional materials, and dual-mode physical unclonable function (PUF) devices integrating optical and topographical security features.This work elucidates the mechanistic foundation of water-soluble tape transfer and provides a scalable, mechanism-guided platform for micro/nanopattern integration on complex soft interfaces.