A facile approach for fabrication of underwater superoleophobic alloy

Superoleophobicity developed by creating roughness at multiple scales or lowering the surface energy has drawn extensive attention for technological applications. Currently, most methods for fabrication of superoleophobic surfaces employ either the complicated manufacture of micro/nano structures or delicate chemical decorations. Here, the sharp wetting transition from an oleophilic state to an oleophobic one has been practically realized, and the mechanism successfully interpreted. The underwater superoleophobic surfaces are newly realized and successfully controlled by subtly tuning the surface morphology of the alloy by practical corrosion plus a naturally obtained, stable, high-energy inorganic coating layer which induces the sharp wetting transition from oleophilic state to oleophobic state. The contact angle (CA) variations are quantitatively analyzed based on the wetting model by employing a roughness geometrical structure and a corrosion mechanism, which agree well with the measured results. Additionally, the dependence of the roughness on the corrosion procedure is modeled microscopically. Our method uncovers a facile fabrication protocol for optimum underwater superoleophobic surfaces by modifying the microstructures of alloy surfaces in the manufacturing process, which furthermore offers significant insights into the design and creation of other novel antifouling materials.