One-Step Solvent-Free Strategy for Covalently Attached, Substrate-Independent Transparent Slippery Coating

Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) have attracted interest in recent years due to their outstanding liquid-repellency. However, the infused liquid may be lost over time. Here, a one-step fabrication of robust slippery coatings that are water repellent is reported. By crosslinking a mixture of monovinyl- and divinyl-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) with poly(methylhydrosiloxane) via a hydrosilylation reaction, crosslinked coatings composed of PDMS skeleton and tethered, liquidlike PDMS pendant chains are prepared. The coatings are durable, transparent, and slippery, displaying extremely low water contact angle hysteresis, fostering the sliding motion of adhered water droplets. Produced via a simple, solvent-free process requiring only commercially available reagents, the fluorine-free coatings can be applied on a variety of substrates, opening the door to many industrial applications.