Durable bionic honeycomb slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces with anti-icing and water-collecting properties

Abstract

The slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces with nanostructures have emerged as a high-performance multifunctional surface with super-liquid repellency, low contact angle hysteresis and self-healing. However, the amount of lubricant captured by the nanostructures is extremely low, and such oil-filled functional surfaces are susceptible to lubricant loss depletion. In this research, we developed a honeycomb-inspired multidimensional lubricant-infused surface that has a good ability to lock in lubricant while providing excellent mechanical durability. The honeycomb-shaped hexagonal micropores store lubricant to stabilize the smooth oil layer, while the pine-needle shaped nano-needles in the pores retain the lubricant in the pores, making it more difficult to lose the lubricant and increasing durability. Compared to conventional nanostructured slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces, this surface ensures excellent long-term lubrication performance under extreme conditions such as cooling, high shear and water spray impact. Meanwhile the honeycomb mesh lubricant injected into the surface is able to rapidly coalesce and remove water droplets during condensation due to the presence of coarsening effect, and it also retards the formation of ice. This structure provides a new idea for anti-icing and water collection research