Sustainable scale resistance on a bioinspired synergistic microspine coating with a collectible liquid barrier

Abstract

Scale deposition, especially in the petroleum industry, has always been a serious issue because of its potential safety hazards and huge economic cost. However, conventional scale-resistant strategies based on mechanical descaling and chemical detergents can’t feed the urgent demand for energy saving and environmental protection. Herein, we report a bioinspired long-term oil collectible mask (BLOCK)—a microspine coating with the synergistic effect of anti-adhesion and oil collection, displaying sustainable scale resistance towards oilfield-produced water. Inspired by pitcher plants, the oil layer as a liquid barrier inhibits scale deposition by changing the underwater scaling micro-environment from liquid/solid/solid to a liquid/solid/liquid triphase system. Oil droplets are collected by cacti-inspired microspines to enhance oil layer stability. Compared with stainless steel, the BLOCK coating shows ca. 98% reduction even after 35 days in artificial produced water. This strategy could be utilized to design integrated functional materials for conquering complex environments such as oil recovery and transportation.