Robust solid slippery coating for anti-icing and anti-sticking

Abstract

The slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) inspired by the Nepenthes plants has received great attention due to the excellent water-repellency with ultra-low sliding angle. However, the practical application of SLIPS is restricted greatly due to the inevitable loss of lubricant trapped by the micro/nanostructures and the adverse environmental impact of the fluorinated lubricant. Herein, we report a simple and efficient strategy to form a solid slippery coating without loss of lubricant. A commercially available coating with the nominal active constituent of polysilazane (PSZ) was used as the matrix and was slippery with the water sliding angle of approx. 25°. To enhance the water repellency, α, ω- hydroxy silicone oil (HSO) was added into the PSZ solution and the sliding angle of the cured composite coating decreased to approx. 7.0°. The chemical interaction between the Si-H / Si-N bonds of PSZ and the -OH group of HSO produced strong inter-molecular attraction. Acrylic resin was further added to strengthen the overall integrity of the coating and the so-obtained composite coating was durable with no loss of lubricant. Moreover, the curing of PSZ at room temperature was accelerated greatly by HSO from longer than one week to less than one day due to the above-mentioned chemical interactions between the Si-H / Si-N bonds and the -OH group. The solid slippery coating showed promising potential in preventing ice adhesion and anti-sticking to adhesive paper due to its low adhesion properties.