Harvard College

Caitlin Howell

Joanna Aizenberg

Philseok Kim

Michael Aizenberg

Tak Sing Wong

Benjamin Hatton

Xi Yao

Jiaxi Cui

Stuart Dunn

The present disclosure describes a strategy to create self-healing, slippery self-lubricating polymers. Lubricating liquids with affinities to polymers can be utilized to get absorbed within the polymer and form a lubricant layer (of the lubricating liquid) on the polymer. The lubricant layer can repel a wide range of materials, including simple and complex fluids (water, hydrocarbons, crude oil and bodily fluids), restore liquid-repellency after physical damage, and resist ice, microorganisms and insects adhesion. Some exemplary applications where self-lubricating polymers will be useful include energy-efficient, friction-reduction fluid handling and transportation, medical devices, anti-icing, optical sensing, and as self-cleaning, and anti-fouling materials operating in extreme environments.

Slippery self-lubricating polymer surfaces

Growing community of inventors

Somerville, MA, United States of America

Caitlin Howell