Highly Stable and Transparent Slippery Surface on Silica Glass Fabricated by Femtosecond Laser

Underwater optical window plays an important role in ocean detection. Studies show that marine biofouling is one of the biggest challenges that affect the performance of the optical window. Recently, nepenthes‐inspired lubrication‐infused slippery surfaces (SLIPS) with excellent anti‐biological adsorption features have been widely used to resolve this problem. However, low mechanical resistance and the easy loss of infused lubricants affect the slippery capability of this method. In the present study, a novel 3D bionic slippery surface was fabricated using a femtosecond laser wet etching on silica glass. In this method, the lubricant of the compartment structure SLIPS is stored in the inner compartment and is transported to the surface under the effect of the capillary forth. The unique structure of the proposed scheme dramatically improved the surface durability compared with the normal SLIPS, and does not affect the intrinsic transparency of the substrate material. The performed analyses revealed that the proposed scheme has excellent optical transmittance and durability, and is expected to have wide applications in the ocean detection field.