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Bioinspired low-friction surface coating with lubricant-infused spherical cavities for sustainable drag reduction

[Display omitted] •A nature-inspired low-friction surface was prepared by breath figure method.•The proposed surface showed 39% drag reduction performance in turbulent flow condition.•The unique surface topography enabled the sustainable drag reduction.•The developed surface has a potential for func...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied surface science 2023-08, Vol.628, p.157365, Article 157365
Main Authors: Kim, Hae Nyeok, Jeong, So Won, Baik, Bu Geun, Jang, Hyejin, Jeong, Hoon Eui, Lee, Sang Joon
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:[Display omitted] •A nature-inspired low-friction surface was prepared by breath figure method.•The proposed surface showed 39% drag reduction performance in turbulent flow condition.•The unique surface topography enabled the sustainable drag reduction.•The developed surface has a potential for functional coating of marine vehicles. The slippery low-friction surfaces have strong potentials in various applications, including drag reduction, anti-fouling, and anti-icing, etc. However, conventional low-friction surfaces, such as the superhydrophobic surface (SHS) and the lubricant-infused surface (LIS), lose their slippery properties when subjected to external stimuli. The low sustainability remains the major obstacle to their practical applications, despite many attempts to enhance the durability of low-friction surfaces. Here, a marine creature-inspired surface (MIS) having lubricant-infused spherical cavities with tiny opening is proposed as a promising low-friction surface for achieving sustainable turbulent drag reduction in marine environments. The unique surface topography enables MIS to efficiently retain the infused lubricant and enhance the reduction of hydrodynamic frictional drag. The exceptional low-friction capability of the proposed MIS is demonstrated by measuring its frictional drag at high-speed flows up to 12 m/s, corresponding to the cruising velocity of a large container ship. Even in such highly turbulent flow conditions, the proposed nature-inspired MIS reduces frictional drag by up to ∼39% compared with the bare aluminum surface, which is the best performance compared with other LIS surfaces reported in the literature. Adoption of the proposed MIS coating on marine vehicles would result in significant energy savings and environmental protection.
ISSN:0169-4332
1873-5584
DOI:10.1016/j.apsusc.2023.157365