Figure 5: Repellent properties of TO films constructed on surgical-grade stainless-steel scalpels.

(a,b) Incisions produced on 1-cm-thick, sliced PDMS slabs with increased softness and stickiness (base/curing agent ratio, indicated). Insets: optical microscope cross sectional images of silicone slabs sliced by untreated (a) and TO-SLIPS scalpel blades (b). Scale bars in insets, 50 μm. (c–e) Scalpels were immersed in a cuvette with blood (left column) and blood staining on the scalpel surface was washed off into a cuvette with DI water (right column): (c) Untreated, (d) TO-SHS and (e) TO-SLIPS. Untreated and TO-SHS scalpels were immersed once; TO-SLIPS scalpel was immersed three times. Colour of the cuvette with DI water indicates and qualitatively correlates with the amount of blood that remains on every sample. (f) C.f.u. counts for untreated (control) and TO-SLIPS scalpel blades after dipping in a concentrated culture of E. coli followed by a brief rinse in DI water.