Abstract

Inspired by the carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plant, a range of highly liquid repellent lubricant‐infused surfaces has been devised (low water droplet contact angle hysteresis and sliding angle values). This entails matching functional pulsed plasma polymer nanolayers with appropriate slippery lubricants. A molecular‐level structure–behavior relationship is developed, highlighting the importance of favorable aromatic–aliphatic intermolecular interactions between the coating and lubricant. Fluorinated lubricant‐infused pulsed plasma polymer nanocoatings resist wetting by liquids, spanning a wide range of surface tensions (including pentane, motor oil, and water, i.e., omniphobicity). In the case of natural antimicrobial compound‐infused functional plasma polymer surfaces (e.g., the essential oil cinnamaldehyde), multifunctional performance is attained combining high liquid repellency (self‐cleaning) with simultaneous strong antibacterial activity against both Gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram‐negative Escherichia coli (log10 reduction > 7). In addition, these lubricant‐infused functional pulsed plasma polymer surfaces easily repel a variety of everyday liquids (including foodstuffs such as tomato ketchup and honey).

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