Slippery organogel coating based on Ag(I)-imine coordination bonding for enhanced self-healing, antifouling and anticorrosion properties

Slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) has garnered significant attention in marine anticorrosion and antifouling applications due to their slippery attributes. Nevertheless, it remains challenging to fulfill the protection requirements by relying exclusively on the barrier and anti-adhesion mechanisms of surface lubricating layer. In this work, a dual-functional slippery organogel coating was meticulously synthesized by introducing Ag(Ӏ)-imine coordination bonds into organosilicon networks, thereby endowing the coating with self-healing and antibacterial properties. A surface scratch with a width of 50 μm can be effectively repaired within 6 h at 60 °C, and the repair efficiency exceeds 85 %. In addition, the coating exhibits a dual antibacterial mechanism, which functions through both sterilization via the release of Ag⁺ and antiadhesion due to its slippery properties. Following a 7-day cocultivation period with PAO1 bacteria, the coating retained 100 % bactericidal activity and 99.8 % resistance to bacterial adhesion. Moreover, the antialgal efficacy of the AP-TA_0.2-Ag₁@Oil coating against Chlorella and P. tricornutum increased by 99.9 % and 99.7 %, respectively. Furthermore, the combination of Ag(Ӏ)-imine coordination bonds and silicone oil effectively preserves the corrosion resistance of the coating. The EIS results demonstrated that the |Z|_{0.01 Hz} value of the slippery organogel coating was maintained at 1.07 × 10⁷ Ω·cm² after immersion in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for 14 days, suggesting excellent anticorrosion performance of the coating. This study provides a novel perspective for the development of marine protective coatings that possess antifouling, self-healing, and anticorrosive properties.