A Photocatalytically Active Lubricant-Impregnated Surface.

Lubricant impregnated surfaces (LISs) exhibit sliding angles below 5°. A LIS is presented that possesses photocatalytic activity as well as improved liquid repellency. In a single-step reaction, the surface of photocatalytic mesoporous TiO2 substrate is modified by grafting polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) brush and the residual non-bound PDMS serves as lubricant. Since the lubricant and the hydrophobic layer are chemically identical, the grafting PDMS layer is stably swollen by the lubricant PDMS, which inhibits direct contact of liquid drops to the solid substrate. Liquid drops such as water, methanol, and even low-surface-tension fluorocarbons, slide on the surface with tilt angles below 1°. The surface exhibits long-term stable photocatalytic activity while retaining its liquid repellency. This photocatalytic activity allows photocatalytic chemistry, for example, decomposition of organics, on LIS to be carried out.