Designing a MOF-based slippery lubricant-infused porous surface with dual functional anti-fouling strategy

Material that resists biofouling adhesion is needed in a complex marine environment, but few of them can combine ultra-low fouling and environmental friendliness. Slippery lubricant-infused porous surface (SLIPS) is such a material, but it lacks the contact-killing ability, which limits its stability and anti-fouling efficiency. Here, we report a metal organic framework (MOF-based) Slippery ionic liquid-infused surface with excellent antifouling performance via synergistic release and contact-killing defense strategy. The dense needle-like MIL-110 array, grown in situ on the aluminum surface, is conducive to the stable storage of quaternary ammonium salt (QAS) ionic liquid. Compared to the control group with mature biofilm formed on the surface, SLIPS showed non-fouling performance in a 10-day test and another 21-day test under more challenging conditions. The adsorption amount of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on SLIPS was 50% lower than that on the aluminum sheet and the aluminum sheet with MIL-110 grown on the surface as the control groups within three hours. The relationship between bacterial adhesion and LPS adsorption indicated that the anti-adhesion performance of SLIPS was mediated by the weak adhesion and easy release property of its surface to extracellular fouling molecules. This study provides the possibility to systematically reveal the antifouling mechanism of SLIPS on bacterial adhesion.