Superoleophobic surfaces (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

Materials showing special extreme wettability are particularly captivating. Until now, a very large number of superhydrophobic surfaces have been fabricated, and these artificial materials have a wide range of applications. Different with superhydrophobic surfaces, superoleophobic surfaces that repel organic liquids are difficult to achieve because of the low surface tension of organic liquids. Superoleophobic surfaces have also gained more and more attention recently for their remarkable potential applications in oil-repellent coatings, self-cleaning, oil/water separation, oil droplet manipulation, chemical shielding, anti-blocking, oil capture, bioadhesion, and so on. The realization of more complicated and subtle superoleophobic surfaces has many opportunities and challenges. Herein, we systematically summarize the recent developments of superoleophobic surfaces. This talk will focus on the design, fabrication, characteristics, functions, and important applications of various superoleophobic surfaces. Although many significant advances have been achieved, superoleophobic surfaces are still in their “toddler stage” of development. Therefore, the current challenges and future prospects of this fast-growing field of superoleophobicity are finally discussed.