Catechol‐Bonded Universal Flash Coating toward Liquid‐Like Surfaces

Abstract

Anchoring flexible macromolecules onto smooth substrates to create liquid‐like surfaces (LLSs) has revolutionized repellent surface technologies. However, real‐world applications of the LLSs are highly restricted due to the lack of a universal bonding mechanism between those macromolecule termini and diverse surfaces. Herein, a new perspective on interfacial bonding mechanisms for flexible macromolecule immobilization is proposed. A universal flash coating (UFC) technology has been developed based on a rationally designed linear polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molecule terminated with catechol at one end (L‐PDMS‐Cat). The terminated catechol unit enables L‐PDMS‐Cat to anchor onto various metallic, inorganic, and organic substrates in a mussel adhesion‐mimicking manner. A nanoscale coating of 24.3 ± 1.2 nm thickness is achieved within seconds via a simple spray process. The obtained UFC surface can repel fluids with ultralow surface tensions (γ < 20 mN m−1), exhibit an impressively low ice shear strength of 16.7 ± 10.5 kPa, and offer exceptional resistance to solvent soaking. Moreover, the theoretical model of temperature‐dependent rheology reveals that retaining molecular configurations with unconfined chain segments in the bonded coating is the key to preserving the interfacial slippage of such surfaces. The study provides a new paradigm for molecular design of multifunctional liquid‐like surfaces for wide‐ranging applications.