Strategies to modulate underwater oil wettability and adhesion

Abstract

Inspired by the extreme underwater oil repellence found in fish scales, formally defined as underwater superoleophobicity, various functional interfaces have recently been derived. Such heterogeneous oil wettability underwater is attributed to the entrapment of liquid water in an extremely hydrophilic interface decorated with micro- and nanostructures. Designing underwater superoleophobic surfaces with differences in the force of oil adhesion is important for extending its potential utilizations in various and relevant applications. While underwater non-adhesive superoleophobicity enables applications like oil-liquid separation, self-cleaning, anti-fouling, anti-platelet adhesion, etc., the underwater superoleophobic interfaces embedded with the controlled force of oil adhesion remain crucial for another set of applications—including no-loss oil droplet manipulation, transfer, chemical toxin sensing, etc. This review discusses various strategies for deriving such underwater superoleophobic surfaces, emphasizing the need for co-optimizing appropriate surface nanoarchitectonics and hydrophilic chemistry and illustrating strategies for addressing durability and scalability challenges. Further, this review reveals the dominant role of chemical modulations over topography optimization for precise and orthogonal control on both oil wettability and force of oil adhesion. Additionally, strategic post-functionalization approaches are highlighted that enable instrument-free and naked-eye detection of physiological biomarkers and environmental toxins. It also depicts approaches to deriving mechanically durable underwater superoleophobic coatings—improving their suitability for more realistic application in outdoor conditions.