Facile fabrication of durable and fluorine-free liquid infused surfaces on aluminum substrates with excellent anti-icing, anticorrosion, and antibiofouling properties

Marine biofouling has a significant impact on marine industry and activities. Various slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) for marine antibiofouling have been reported in recent years. However, these surfaces are limited to a few substrates, require a complicated construction procedure, and have a low durability. In this regard, simple, efficient and eco-environmental-friendly methods were used to fabricate SLIPS coatings on aluminum substrates with durable and efficient properties. The chemically etched and grinded aluminum substrates were modified to fabricate hydrophobic surfaces by the application of stearic acid (SA) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) porous coatings. Both SA-modified and PDMS-modified porous hydrophobic surfaces were infused with silicone oil to obtain SLIPS (SLIPS-SA and SLIPS-PDMS). The qualities of two hydrophobic surfaces (SA and PDMS) and their corresponding slippery surfaces (SLIPS-SA and SLIPS-PDMS) were investigated. Wetting studies revealed that the as-prepared slippery surfaces have hydrophobic properties and a low sliding angle, suggesting the formation of a homogeneous and smooth oil layer. Furthermore, results showed that both SLIPS are durable and could retain their slippery properties even after 30 days of immersion in artificial acid rain and saturated saline solution. The optimum SLIPS with very low ice adhesion prolonged the water droplet freezing time over two times compared to the bare aluminum substrate. The hydrophobic surfaces displayed inferior anti-icing, anticorrosion, and antibiofouling performance; however, the lubricant-infused surfaces revealed considerably enhanced anti-icing, anticorrosion, and antibiofouling performance. This approach can be applicable to a wide variety of metal substrates and alloys because of its simplicity, which is critical for the production of SLIPS and expanding their applications in marine environments.