Silicone Oil-Infused Slippery Surfaces Based on Sol–Gel Process-Induced Nanocomposite Coatings: A Facile Approach to Highly Stable Bioinspired Surface for Biofouling Resistance

Abstract

Slippery liquid-infused surfaces (SLIPS) have aroused widespread attention due to their excellent liquid-repellency properties associated with broad applications in various fields. However, the complicated preparation processes and the vulnerable surface lubricant layers severely restrict the practical applications of SLIPS. In this work, robust transparent slippery hybrid coatings (SHCs) were easily fabricated by the infusion of sol-gel-derived nanocomposite coatings in silicone oils of varying viscosity. The prepared silicone oil-infused surfaces exhibited outstanding long-term slippery stability even under extreme operating conditions such as high shear rate, elevated evaporation, and flowing aqueous immersion. Static bacteria culture tests confirmed that the SHCs could significantly inhibit biofilm formation. In addition, bovine serum albumin adhesion experiments were conducted after lubricant loss tests, showing significantly less protein absorption and a long service life of the SLIPS. The unique ultralow bacterial attachment and remarkably long-term protein-resistant performance render the as-prepared SLIPS as a promising candidate for biomedical applications even under harsh environmental conditions.

Advances in the application of biomimetic surface engineering in the oil and gas industry

“…Epstein et al [97] showed that SLIPS exhibits liquid repellency, smoothness, self-healing, and stability under high pressure, as well as a good optical transparency. Moreover, the silicone oil-infused sol-gel nanocomposite surfaces also exhibit outstanding long-term slippery stability and ultralow bacterial attachment even under extreme conditions [98]. Yong et al [99] were the first to use a femtosecond laser to successfully fabricate a SLIPS surface, which was shown to be an excellent liquid-repellent and have a self-repair capability.…”

Emerging Applications of Bioinspired Slippery Surfaces in Biomedical Fields

“…These commercial substrates are easily obtained, while substrates made from metalsc an achieve mechanicalr obustness readily. And polymer matrixes may be versatile in constructingL ISS with opticalt ransparency,s elf-healing and other advanced properties due to the ease of tunability in chemistry.M oreover, with unlimited combinationso fm ethods and materials, unique properties such as high transparency, [20,24,28] high mechanical durability, [14b, 20a, 25, 28] self-healing property, [26,27] thermal [21,23,33] and chemical stability [34] could be endowed to LISS. Until now, the majority of LISS is made from porouso rt extured substrates since their diversityi nm aterial and method selection.…”

Drop mobility on chemically heterogeneous and lubricant-impregnated surfaces

“…In pitcher plants, this liquid film is aqueous and effective enough to cause insects that step on it to slide from the rim into the digestive juices at the bottom by repelling the oils on their feet [68]. In the laboratory, an ample variety of synthetic substrates has been used to trap the lubricant, including Teflon nanofibrous membranes [15], hierarchical textures comprising microposts covered with nanofeatures fabricated using laser ablation [69], regular arrays of microposts of different shape [70] and parallel grooves [71] made by standard photolithographic techniques, nanostructured coatings made by electrodeposition of highly textured polypyrrole on Al substrates followed by fluorination of the structured coating [72], porous polymeric films synthesized on glass [73], silicone oil films deposited on a substrate and annealed at high temperature [74], flexible nanocellulose films by photoinduced thiolne functionalization [75], sol−gel-derived nanocomposite coatings [76] and self-assembly polystyrene microbeads on scotch tapes with the aid of an inkjet printer [77]. As infused lubricants, silicone oils of different degrees of viscosity, fluorinated oils of very low surface tension and low volatile ionic liquids are commonly used.…”