Abstract
This study explores the antibiofilm potential of slippery covalently attached liquid-like surfaces, revealing their remarkable ability to inhibit biofilm formation over extended periods, regardless of their hydrophobic or hydrophilic nature. We engineered permanently bound liquid-like solid surfaces with exceptional slipperiness, defined by ultralow contact angle hysteresis, and assessed their effectiveness against two nosocomial pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (FH8). These surfaces achieved a 3-5 order of magnitude reduction in biofilm formation compared to polydimethylsiloxane under both static and dynamic culture conditions over 14 days. Impressively, both the hydrophobic and hydrophilic slippery liquid-like solid surfaces significantly outperformed the widely used antimicrobial coatings containing silver particles in the long term in both static and dynamic cultures. These slippery surfaces also outperformed emerging antibiofilm surfaces such as liquid-infused surfaces in extended periods of dynamic cultures. We have demonstrated that ultralow liquid-solid friction, characterized as ultralow contact angle hysteresis, is an important predictor of the long-term antibiofilm performance of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic slippery covalently attached liquid-like surfaces, particularly in dynamic cultures. This work elucidates the interfacial mechanisms and scientific principles underpinning the design of advanced antibiofilm surfaces capable of maintaining a superior performance over the long-term.