Slippery surface based on lubricant infused hierarchical silicon nanowire film

Abstract

Nanowire thin films exhibiting superhydrophobicity or even superomniphobicity can protect themselves from liquid contamination. However, high contact angle of these thin films with liquid droplets limits the interfacial area between liquids and nanowire network, which is unfavorable for applications such as sensing suspended liquid droplets. In this study, slippery surface based on lubricant infused hierarchical Si nanowire film was developed, which provided low contact angle with liquid droplet, while possessing liquid repellent properties upon slight tilting. Si nanowire films were fabricated through chemical vapor deposition and were further branched with ZnO nanospikes for enhanced immobilization of lubricant. These hierarchical nanowire films were functionalized to enhance their superhydrophobicity and were further infused with perfluorinated lubricant to produce slippery surface. These infused slippery surfaces exhibited low contact angles with blood and corn oil along with high repellency towards these liquids. This study offers a promising approach for creating nanowire films that avoid liquid contamination.