Ionogel-like omniphobic coatings

 
Designing omniphobic surfaces are attracting growing interest due to their broad impact on different applications. In particular, surfaces exhibiting good slippery properties lead to non-stick surfaces. Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces (SLIPS) technology was proposed by Aizenberg's group to provide omniphobic surfaces by infiltrating textured materials with a lubricant. However, their multiphase nature and the low affinity between the lubricating film and the surface may result in lubricant depletion, causing a low durability. In this talk, a new generation of omniphobic surfaces, ionogel-like coatings, overcoming some of the SLIPS limitations will be presented. In particular, the deposition of ionogel coatings based on a cross-linked polymer -containing low surface energy materials covalently grafted to the substrate- swollen in a fluorinated ionic-liquid will be described. The combination of moderate contact angles and slippery properties to reach superior fluid repellence will be discussed; highlighting their potential to mitigate the insect residue contamination on aircrafts.