Fabrication of Slippery Lubricant-Infused Porous Surface for Inhibition of Microbially Influenced Corrosion

Microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) accelerates the failure of metal in a marine environment. In this research, slippery lubricant-infused porous surface (SLIPS) was designed on aluminum, and its great potential for inhibiting MIC induced by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) was demonstrated in a simulated marine environment. The inhibition mechanism of SLIPS to MIC was proposed based on its effective roles in the suppression of SRB settlement and isolation effect to corrosive metabolites. The liquid-like property is demonstrated to be the major contributor to the suppression effect of SLIPS to SRB settlement. The effects of environmental factors (static and dynamic conditions) and lubricant type to SRB settlement over SLIPS were also investigated. It was indicated that the as-fabricated SLIPS can inhibit the SRB settlement in both static and dynamic marine conditions, and lubricant type presents a negligible effect on the SRB settlement. These results will provide a series of foundational data for the future practical application of SLIPS in the marine environment, and also a lubricant selecting instruction to construct SLIPS for MIC control.