Facile Irradiation-Assisted\nMethod to Prepare the\nBiomimetic Mineralized Film with Underwater Superoleophobicity

Frequent oil leakage affects human\nlife and machine work\ncontinuously,\nespecially underwater activities. Underwater superoleophobic materials\nwith high transparency and good mechanical properties are excellent\nchoices for underwater activities. However, most of the underwater\nsuperoleophobic materials still have the disadvantages of a complicated\npreparation process, high cost, and environmental pollution. Therefore,\nthere is an urgent need for a facile, low-cost, and environmentally\nfriendly method to prepare underwater superoleophobic materials. In\nthis work, we present a strategy to fabricate an irradiated biomimetic\nmineralized (IBM) film with high transparency and mechanical robustness\nby combining irradiation technology and a biomineralization strategy.\nThis film shows low light transmittance in air (75%) but high light\ntransmittance underwater (89%) and manifests exceptional superoleophobic\nproperties in oil/water mixtures and underwater against a spectrum\nof oils, concurrently exhibiting enhanced mechanical stability under\nsand abrasion testing and within simulated marine environments. Notably,\nthe film endures the abrasive action of sand particles, preserving\nits underwater superoleophobicity after 1500 cycles of use. It is\ninteresting that the IBM film exhibits hydrophilicity and superlipophilicity\nin air and has a distinct iridescent color, which is a typical feature\nof nacre layers caused by the periodic arrangement of aragonite crystals.\nMoreover, the film withstands recurrent impacts from composite microsphere/water\nmixtures with its wettability remaining intact even after prolonged\nimmersion in seawater. These characteristics suggest that the IBM\nfilm has significant application potential in the field of underwater\nself-cleaning.