Apparatus and methods employing liquid-impregnated surfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11492500-B2
Application number	US-201715498437-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2017
Priority date	Nov 19, 2012
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

In certain embodiments, the invention is directed to apparatus comprising a liquid-impregnated surface, said surface comprising an impregnating liquid and a matrix of solid features spaced sufficiently close to stably contain the impregnating liquid therebetween or therewithin, and methods thereof. In some embodiments, one or both of the following holds: (i) 0<ϕ≤0.25, where ϕ is a representative fraction of the projected surface area of the liquid-impregnated surface corresponding to non-submerged solid at equilibrium; and (ii) Sow(a)<0, where Sow(a) is spreading coefficient, defined as γwa−γwo−γoa, where γ is the interfacial tension between the two phases designated by subscripts w, a, and o, where w is water, a is air, and o is the impregnating liquid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article comprising a liquid-impregnated surface, said surface comprising an impregnating liquid and a matrix of solid features spaced sufficiently close to stably contain the impregnating liquid therebetween or therewithin, wherein one or both of the following holds:
(i) 0<ϕ≤0.25, where ϕ is a representative fraction of the projected surface area of the liquid-impregnated surface corresponding to non-submerged solid at equilibrium; and
(ii) S ow(a) <0, where S ow(a) is spreading coefficient, defined as γ wa −γ wo −γ oa , where γ is the interfacial tension between the two phases designated by subscripts w, a, and o, where w is water, a is air, and o is the impregnating liquid,
wherein the liquid-impregnated surface is non-wetting to a contacting liquid.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein 0.001<ϕ≤0.25.

3. The article of claim 1 , wherein 0.001<ϕ≤0.10.

4. The article of claim 1 , wherein S ow(a) <0.

5. The article of claim 1 , wherein the impregnating liquid comprises an ionic liquid.

6. The article of claim 1 , wherein the impregnating liquid comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), phenyl isothiocyanate (phenyl mustard oil), bromobenzene, iodobenzene, o-bromotoluene, alpha-chloronaphthalene, alpha-bromonaphthalene, acetylene tetrabromide, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (BMIm), tribromohydrin (1,2,3-tribromopropane), ethylene dibromide, carbon disulfide, bromoform, methylene iodide (diiodomethane), stanolax, Squibb's liquid petrolatum, p-bromotoluene, monobromobenzene, perchloroethylene, carbon disulfide, phenyl mustard oil, monoiodobenzene, alpha-monochloro-naphthalene, acetylene tetrabromide, aniline, butyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol, n-heptyl alcohol, cresol, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and amyl phthalate.

7. The article of claim 1 , wherein the solid features comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of a polymeric solid, a ceramic solid, a fluorinated solid, an intermetallic solid, and a composite solid.

8. The article of claim 1 , wherein the solid features comprise a chemically modified surface, a coated surface, and/or a surface with a bonded monolayer.

9. The article of claim 1 , wherein the solid features define at least one member selected from the group consisting of pores, cavities, wells, interconnected pores, and interconnected cavities.

10. The article of claim 1 , wherein the solid features comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of posts, nanoneedles, nanograss, substantially spherical particles, and amorphous particles.

11. The article of claim 1 , wherein the solid features have a roughened surface.

12. The article of claim 1 , wherein 0<ϕ≤0.25.

13. The article of claim 12 , wherein 0<ϕ≤0.10.

14. The article of claim 1 , wherein the liquid-impregnated surface is configured such that water droplets contacting the surface are not pinned or impaled on the surface and have a roll-off angle α of less than 40°.

15. The article of claim 14 , wherein the water droplets have a roll-off angle α of less than 25°.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Smith J David
• Dhiman Rajeev
• Varanasi Kripa K

Classifications

• Y10T428/24355

  Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.] · CPC title

• C09D5/1681 Primary

  Antifouling coatings characterised by surface structure, e.g. for roughness effect giving superhydrophobic coatings or Lotus effect · CPC title

• Y10T428/13

  Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.] · CPC title

• Y10T428/24802

  Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.] · CPC title