Robust Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces with Fast Self-Replenishment Properties for Anticontaminant, Anti-Icing, and Anticorrosion Applications on Magnesium Alloys
Bingfeng Li, Kefan Huang, Shuaiya Xue, Weimin Liu, Jian Li
Abstract
Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPSs), a class of functional bioinspired surface, have earned a position at the forefront of many areas such as anticorrosion, anti-icing, antifogging, antibacterial, anticontaminant, microflow control, and drag reduction. However, the fast self-replenishing ability of SLIPS remains extremely challenging due to limited lubricant storage capacity or microstructure impeding fluid flow. Herein, a superhydrophobic surface was prepared by spraying the sepiolite/zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 hybrid material with a layered three-dimensional (3D) fibrous porous network structure on the magnesium (Mg) alloy surface. Subsequently, SLIPS with fast self-replenishing properties was obtained by injecting silicone oil on the superhydrophobic surface. The unique internal structure of SLIPS not only served as a container for storing the lubricant but also provided a channel for the flow of lubricants. In addition, the SLIPS possessed favorable self-replenishment, anticontaminant, and anti-icing properties. Moreover, compared with the superhydrophobic surface, SLIPS exhibited better corrosion resistance, which was attributed to the stable continuous lubricating oil replacing the air trapped in the rough structure and effectively blocking the invasion of corrosive ions. Significantly, the as-prepared SLIPS still maintained excellent corrosion stability on the Mg alloy after soaking in 3.5 wt % NaCl solution for 30 days. The research provides an avenue for designing green environmental protection, sustainable anticorrosion, and rapidly self-replenishing SLIPSs with great application potential.