Enhanced Anticorrosion and Antifouling Properties of Lubricant-Infused Pyramidal Polydimethylsiloxane Coating

Although slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPSs) have been extensively studied for anticorrosion and antifouling applications, their durability and stability restrict their practicality. Herein, a technique is presented for fabricating SLIPS with dual-protection. First, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating with a pyramidal morphology is fabricated through mold-based lithographic techniques. The mold is prepared by applying a texturing process to a monocrystalline silicon wafer of the type used to produce solar cells. Once infused with lubricant, the SLIPS is prepared and has a water-contact angle of 112°, on an inclined surface, water droplets slide easily off its surface. Due to the excellent chemical stability and low superficiality of the lubricant layer, the SLIPS offers excellent antifouling and anticorrosion properties. In a static marine environment, the SLIPS has an extremely low coverage fraction of algae. After being immersed in a 3.5% NaCl solution for 400 days, |Z|_0.01 Hz ≈ 10¹¹ Ω, and the phase angle at high frequency is approximately −90°. SLIPSs based on the PDMS coating provide dual protection (anticorrosion and antifouling), showing that this design approach produces SLIPSs with excellent potential for applications in marine environments.