Double-sided slippery liquid-infused porous materials using conformable mesh.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Wetting phenomena are typically studied on single surfaces of rigid substrates.
• Flexible substrates like meshes offer unique properties due to their double-sided nature and potential for complex structures.
• Topological concepts, beyond simple topography, can be applied to substrates with holes and varying connectedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for creating Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surface (SLIPS) coatings on flexible, double-sided meshes.
• To explore the application of SLIPS on conformable materials and complex geometries.
• To investigate the impact of flexibility and topology on SLIPS performance.

Main Methods:

• Application of SLIPS coatings onto flexible, double-sided mesh substrates.
• Fabrication of double-sided SLIPS materials and complex geometries.
• Testing of mesh-based SLIPS pipes under laminar and turbulent flow conditions.

Main Results:

• Achieved double-sided SLIPS materials with high droplet mobility and control on both faces.
• Demonstrated the robustness of a mesh-based SLIPS pipe under sustained laminar (180 min) and turbulent (90 min) flows.
• Highlighted the importance of substrate flexibility and topological features in SLIPS performance.

Conclusions:

• Flexible, double-sided SLIPS meshes offer advanced droplet manipulation capabilities.
• The developed SLIPS mesh pipe exhibits significant flow resistance.
• Topological considerations in SLIPS design can lead to novel material functionalities, such as Mobius strips and auxetic metamaterials.