Facile Irradiation-Assisted Method to Prepare the Biomimetic Mineralized Film with Underwater Superoleophobicity

Frequent oil leakage affects human life and machine work continuously, especially underwater activities. Underwater superoleophobic materials with high transparency and good mechanical properties are excellent choices for underwater activities. However, most of the underwater superoleophobic materials still have the disadvantages of a complicated preparation process, high cost, and environmental pollution. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a facile, low-cost, and environmentally friendly method to prepare underwater superoleophobic materials. In this work, we present a strategy to fabricate an irradiated biomimetic mineralized (IBM) film with high transparency and mechanical robustness by combining irradiation technology and a biomineralization strategy. This film shows low light transmittance in air (75%) but high light transmittance underwater (89%) and manifests exceptional superoleophobic properties in oil/water mixtures and underwater against a spectrum of oils, concurrently exhibiting enhanced mechanical stability under sand abrasion testing and within simulated marine environments. Notably, the film endures the abrasive action of sand particles, preserving its underwater superoleophobicity after 1500 cycles of use. It is interesting that the IBM film exhibits hydrophilicity and superlipophilicity in air and has a distinct iridescent color, which is a typical feature of nacre layers caused by the periodic arrangement of aragonite crystals. Moreover, the film withstands recurrent impacts from composite microsphere/water mixtures with its wettability remaining intact even after prolonged immersion in seawater. These characteristics suggest that the IBM film has significant application potential in the field of underwater self-cleaning.