Bioinspired adaptive slippery surfaces: design strategies and emerging applications

Precise control over liquid-solid interactions is central to the development of next-generation functional interfaces for adaptive and intelligent material systems. Bioinspired slippery liquid-infused surfaces (SLIPS) have emerged as a compelling alternative to conventional superhydrophobic coatings, offering low adhesion, omniphobicity, and inherent defect tolerance. However, the intrinsically static nature of early SLIPS has limited their utility under dynamic and complex operating conditions. Recently, this field has advanced towards stimuli-responsive slippery surfaces (SRSS), which enables reversible switching between slippery and non-slippery states under external stimuli such as temperature, light, electric or magnetic fields, pH, and mechanical deformation. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the fundamental design principles, material platforms, and interfacial mechanisms governing stimuli-responsive and multifunctional slippery surfaces. We first summarize the wetting physics and thermodynamic criteria governing lubricant-infused systems, with emphasis on interfacial energy balance and lubricant stability. SRSS are then systematically classified according to their dominant stimulus-response mechanisms, highlighting fabrication strategies, reversible wetting transitions, and dynamic modulation of interfacial properties. Emerging material architectures-including phase-change lubricants, liquid crystals, soft elastomers, nanocomposites, and hierarchical porous scaffolds-are discussed as key enablers for programmable control over droplet and bubble mobility. Finally, we examine multifunctional applications of SRSS in droplet and bubble manipulation, microfluidics, anti-icing and icephobic coatings, anti-biofouling interfaces, self-healing surfaces, and adaptive fluidic systems. By bridging interfacial science with responsive materials engineering, this review outlines current challenges and future directions towards scalable, durable, and intelligent slippery interfaces, positioning SRSS as a versatile platform for advanced functional materials.