Multifunctional aluminum alloy slippery liquid-infused surface with porous and boehmite nanoflower structure

The depletion of lubricants in (slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces) SLIPS poses a significant challenge to their long-term functionality. While line-shaped rough structures can mitigate lubricant loss to some extent, they often fail to provide the stability required for sustained performance. In this study, we present a novel porous nanoflower aluminum alloy slippery liquid-infused surface (P-NF-AA SLIPS), which integrates a porous framework with a rough nanoflower structure. This synergistic design offers dual benefits of enhanced oil storage and retention, leading to superior stability and durability. Remarkably, after centrifugation at 7000 rpm, the silicone oil retention of P-NF-AA SLIPS remains between 70–75 % of its pre-centrifugation mass. The surface demonstrates excellent adaptability to prolonged use under varying temperatures and pH levels. In fog collection, P-NF-AA SLIPS demonstrates rapid water droplet capture and detachment, achieving a fog collection efficiency of approximately 0.4 g·min −1 ·cm −2 within 10 min—an improvement of 185.7 % and 68.4 % over the original aluminum alloy (OAA) and superhydrophobic aluminum alloy (SHB-AA), respectively. Additionally, P-NF-AA SLIPS delays icing by 560 s at −15 °C and 231 s at −30 °C, offering remarkable anti-icing and de-icing performance. Furthermore, it demonstrates excellent self-cleaning properties against contaminants such as sand, coffee powder, and dye solutions. P-NF-AA SLIPS has advanced research on SLIPS and supports the application of biomimetic slippery surfaces in fields such as self-cleaning materials, anti-icing and anti-frost coatings, droplet control and transport, as well as biomedical applications.