Durable Underwater Superoleophobic Coatings via Dispersed Micro Particle-Induced Hierarchical Structures Inspired by Pomfret Skin.

Abstract

Underwater superoleophobic materials due to its excellent antioil and self-cleaning performance have attracted tremendous attention. Current underwater superoleophobic surfaces usually use complex methods to construct the surface structure limiting the yield and not suitable for large-scale production. Here, inspired by the superoleophobicity of pomfret skin, we developed a strategy to fabricate superoleophobic coatings with hierarchical micro/nano structures by doping hydrophilic micro silica particle in calcium alginate hydrogel. The introduction of micro particles significantly reduces the adhesion of oil and improves the mechanical properties of the coatings. The prepared coatings also survived in high temperature and high salinity environment and the dried for free-standing films. The free-standing dry coating films can be used like wallpaper to decorate the targeted surface and endow them with underwater superoleophobicity. We expect that this work will provide a new method for designing underwater superoleophobic coatings and the wallpaper-like coating films allow large-scale production and will also promote the commercialization of oil-repellent materials.