Antifouling Properties of Liquid‐Infused Riblets Fabricated by Direct Contactless Microfabrication

Abstract

The fabrication of riblets and surfaces structured with aligned grooves, by direct contactless microfabrication (DCM), and the ability of the riblets to function as lubricant‐infused surfaces, is reported. Three types of riblets are fabricated with features (width, height, and period) on the micrometric scale, and with two different UV‐crosslinkable coatings. Riblets with width 10 μm, period 40 μm, and height 30 μm show high water repellence as prepared (water contact angle [WCA] 147°) and, once infused with silicone oil 10 cSt, result in water droplets rolling off the surface at tilt angles of 10°. These riblets are effective at reducing the attachment of marine bacteria, both in the as‐prepared and infused form. The DCM process produces structured surfaces over large areas (10 × 10 cm2) in a few minutes and using inexpensive materials, making mechanically robust surfaces. The DCM process is scalable to the large surface areas required for marine and other applications. The low roll‐off angles and the bacterial inhibition results achieved on the riblets indicate that riblets are an up‐scalable and nontoxic alternative to more complicated fabricated techniques, with potential as antifouling and drag‐reducing coatings.

Preparation of Multiscale Slippery Liquid‐Infused Porous Surface Based on Ti6Al4V Alloy with Self‐Cleaning, Stability, and Self‐Healing Properties

“…Meanwhile, the SLIPS combines the advantages of the mechanical stability of the solid phase, the continuity of the liquid phase, and realizes the molecular smoothness on the interface. [12,13] Thus, SLIPS has initiated a novel avenue for bionic functional surface and shows better performance in many applications, such as anti-icing, [14][15][16][17] anticorrosion, [18][19][20] antifouling, [21][22][23][24] drag reduction, [25] antibiofilm, [26] friction damage, [27] selfcleaning, [26,28,29] and droplet manipulation. [17,30] At present, a large number of materials are chosen as the substrates to prepare the SLIPS, including metal materials, inorganic nonmetallic materials, polymers, and even the paper and timber.…”

Imparting Strong Antifouling Properties to the Transparent PVB Coating through the Zwitterionic Compound Condensation

“…When detection equipment is immersed in seawater for a long time, oil stain and biological contaminants adhere to its surfaces, leading to substantially lowered operational lifespans, and loss of function if poorly addressed [5,6]. Therefore, there is a growing need for the development of antifouling technology in the exploitation of marine resources in recent decades [7,8].…”

Recent Progress in Marine Antifouling Technology Based on Graphene and Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite Materials

“…Various types of antifouling materials and systems were suggested, designed, and tested on sea vessels (we provide a brief overview of the traditional materials and technologies in the following sub-section). [5,6] Significant progress has been achieved compared with the first approaches based on metal (copper, lead) plating, yet the sea transportation industry requires much higher efficiency to combat biofouling as the present-day techniques based mainly on biocidal agents do not ensure the desired level of protection. [7,8] Besides, biocidal systems present a significant danger to the marina flora and fauna, in particular in the port areas where the cargo traffic is very dense.…”