Preserving exposed hydrophilic bumps on multi-bioinspired slippery surface arrays unlocks high-efficiency fog collection and cleaning

The efficiency of fog water collection technologies is inherently hindered by the long-standing dilemma of nucleation vs. transportation balance. Inspired by nature, we address this issue by preserving hydrophilic bumps on slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) through an underwater infusion strategy, creating a super-slippery fog collector with multi-scale biomimetic structures. This surface combines features from beetle carapaces and pitcher plant surfaces, enabling rapid initial nucleation on hydrophilic bumps and efficient droplet transport. As a result, we have developed the most efficient fog collecting surface reported to date, capturing 5000–60000 mg/cm² per hour with fog flow rates ranging from 300–1500 mL/h. By macroscopically scaling and optimizing, we have constructed an integrated 3D fog collecting device capable of capturing over 660 g of water in 500 minutes. Further integrating TiO ₂ into the bumps imparts the ability for simultaneous water collection and purification without sacrificing collection efficiency. Our work reveals that resolving the nucleation-transport dichotomy is key to achieving high-efficiency fog water collection.