Transforming siliconization into slippery liquid-like coatings

Siliconization is a specific coating technique to engineer surface properties in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries to lubricate motion, ensure complete dispensation of product, and to inhibit protein adsorption and biofilm growth. However, the focus has been on optimizing hydrophobicity, whereas liquid shedding is dominated by static and kinetic contact line friction. Here, we report a simple-to-apply coating method with optimization of ultra-low contact angle hysteresis liquid-like coatings for glass (G), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyurethane (PU) and stainless steel (SS); materials which are used for pharmaceutical/parenteral packaging and medical equipment. Moreover, we demonstrate that the coating's slow sliding dynamics surface properties for water droplets caused by high droplet kinetic friction, can be converted into fast sliding dynamics corresponding to low droplet kinetic friction, by a simple molecular capping (methylation) process. Our results provide new insight into key aspects of siliconization coatings in the context of industrial/commercial processes.<p></p>