Fouling-resistant behavior of liquid-infused porous slippery surfaces

Marine economy is seriously affected by marine biofouling, which has plagued people for thousands of years. Although various strategies have been developed to protect artificial surfaces against marine biofouling, cost-effective biofouling-resistant coating is still a goal in pursue. Herein, a cost-effective liquid-infused porous slippery surface (LIPSS) was facilely prepared by using poly(styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene) (SEBS) elastomer to form microsphere surfaces, followed by infusing fluorocarbon lubricants into the porous structure. The as-prepared slippery surfaces were characterized by static water contact angle, sliding velocity and sliding angle analysis. We also investigated the adhesion behavior of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and limnetic algae on different surfaces. It is confirmed that the slippery surfaces have better anti-biofouling properties than the porous SEBS reference. This cost-effective approach is feasible and easily produced, and may potentially be used as fouling-resistant surfaces.