Recent trends in fabrication of nepenthes inspired SLIPs: Design strategies for self-healing efficient anti-icing surfaces

Non-wetting surfaces are of great importance due to its wider applicability in self-cleaning, condensation heat transfer, water collection, anti-frosting etc. In this regard, lotus leaf inspired superhydrophobic surfaces gained large interest towards fabrication of micro/nanostructured surfaces. However, the applicability of those surfaces limited itself with deteriorated performance upon accidental damages. Hence, an alternative approach of fabricating slippery lubricant infused porous surfaces inspired from Nepenthes Pitcher plant emerged with excellent capabilities. SLIPs presented liquid repellent property with sliding angles < 5 degrees The present review article discusses about the recent development in SLIPs fabrication that possess excellent anti-icing ability. Furthermore, theoretical models for effective SLIPs design is investigated and discussed in detail. A comparison of theoretical and experimentally obtained results have been compared and presented. An outline of surface and lubricant characteristics to tune the interfacial characteristics is discussed followed by the limitations and possible future direction to achieve self-healing highly efficient SLIPs that can work under harsh conditions.