Slippery Coatings\nwith Durable Contaminant Resistance\nEnabled by Specific Interactions between Nanoporous Block Copolymers\nand Lubricants

Slippery coatings based on lubricant-filled porous surfaces\nare\na crucial class of repellent materials, comprising micro/nanostructured\nsubstrates infused with a lubricating liquid, which has demonstrated\nremarkable resistance to liquid or biological contaminants. However,\nthe fabrication of slippery coatings using a straightforward approach\nand ensuring robust oil-locking ability remain highly challenging.\nHerein, selective swelling of the block copolymer of polystyrene-<i>block</i>-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PS-<i>b</i>-PDMS,\nabbreviated as SDMS) is used to produce nanoporous thin films with\ninterconnected porosities, thereby slippery coatings are facilely\nconstructed by infusing silicone oil into the nanoporosities. The\nnanoporous structure provides strong capillary forces for trapping\nand storing infused lubricants. Meanwhile, the identical molecular\ncomposition shared by PDMS blocks and silicone oil ensures their strong\nadhesion and integration, thereby guaranteeing long-term durability\nof the slippery coatings. The slippery coatings have excellent repellency\nto varied liquids and can be self-cleaning and also display good antifouling\nperformances to algae adhesion and microbial contamination in real\nriver water. Constructing slippery coatings on the iron surface enables\nsignificant retardation of corrosion under water. This work offers\na new approach for the easy and feasible formation of slippery coatings,\nwhich holds promising applications in the fields of biofouling resistance\nand anticorrosion protection.