Novel Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces (SLIPS) based on electrospun polydimethylsiloxane/polystyrene fibrous structures infused with natural blackseed oil

Abstract

Hydrophobic fibrous slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) were fabricated by electrospinning polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polystyrene (PS) as a carrier polymer on plasma-treated polyethylene (PE) and polyurethane (PU) substrates. Subsequent infusion of blackseed oil (BSO) into the porous structures was applied for the preparation of the SLIPS. SLIPS with infused lubricants can act as a repellency layer and play an important role in the prevention of biofilm formation. The effect of polymer solutions used in the electrospinning process was investigated to obtain well-defined hydrophobic fibrous structures. The surface properties were analyzed through various optical, macroscopic and spectroscopic techniques. A comprehensive investigation of the surface chemistry, surface morphology/topography, and mechanical properties was carried out on selected samples at optimized conditions. The electrospun fibers prepared using a mixture of PDMS/PS in the ratio of 1:1:10 (g/g/mL) using tetrahydrofuran (THF) solvent showed the best results in terms of fiber uniformity. The subsequent infusion of BSO into the fabricated PDMS/PS fiber mats exhibited slippery behavior regarding water droplets. Moreover, prepared SLIPS exhibited antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacterium strains.