Imparting scalephobicity with rational microtexturing of soft materials | Science Advances

Crystallization fouling, a process where scale forms on surfaces, is widespread in nature and technology, negatively affecting energy and water industries. Despite the effort, rationally designed surfaces that are intrinsically resistant to it remain elusive, due in part to a lack of understanding of how microfoulants deposit and adhere in dynamic aqueous environments. Here, we show that rational tuning of coating compliance and wettability works synergistically with microtexture to enhance microfoulant repellency, characterized by low adhesion and high removal efficiency of numerous individual microparticles and tenacious crystallites in a flowing water environment. We study the microfoulant interfacial dynamics in situ using a micro-scanning fluid dynamic gauge system, elucidate the removal mechanisms, and rationalize the behavior with a shear adhesive moment model. We then demonstrate a rationally developed coating that can remove 98% of deposits under shear flow conditions, 66% better than rigid substrates.