Mechanically durable liquid-impregnated honeycomb surfaces

Liquid repellent surfaces typically work by keeping the fouling liquid in a metastable state, with trapped pockets of air between the substrate and the liquid. An alternative method with greater long-term stability utilizes liquid-impregnated surfaces, where the liquid being repelled slides over an immiscible liquid immobilized on a porous surface. Here, we report a method for creating honeycomb surfaces amenable to liquid-impregnation. Polystyrene dissolved in a water-immiscible, volatile solvent was deposited in a humid environment on a variety of substrates to achieve the necessary porosity. Evaporative cooling results in condensation of water in a breath figure array of droplets, forming a sacrificial template for the drying polymer film. These honeycomb surfaces were further functionalized with fluorosilane and dipped in the lubricating liquid to result in a durable, liquid-repellent surface. These surfaces were found to exhibit repellency towards water and oils with extremely low tilt angles due to the smooth liquid–liquid contact between the lubricating liquid and the liquid being repelled.