A bio-inspired slippery coating with mechanochemical robustness for anti-ice and anti-corrosion

Abstract

Slippery coatings with outstanding liquid repellency and drag reduction are essential for energy saving and economic society. However, their long-term durability is still limited by weak slippery capacity and mechanochemical stability. Here, a manta ray skin inspired coating (MSC) via straightforward spraying method is developed. The rational design of the hemispherical structures composed of silicon-containing materials endows a transparent and robust slippery surface with hardness of 0.94 GPa and an extremely low friction coefficient of 0.076. The MSC can be applied on diverse substrates with strong adhesion and exhibits an outstanding resistance to liquid with a wide range of surface tension and viscosity up to 1,499 mPa·s. The coating maintains transparency and sustains liquid repellency after 1,000 abrasion cycles under 250 g loads or 32 days treatment at extreme high/low temperatures. In addition, the distinct anti-icing/de-icing properties and good anti-corrosion performance along with a facile spraying process provide MSC a tremendous potential for achieving industrial applications.