Cavitation refers to the formation and collapse of vapor bubbles near solid boundaries in high-speed flows, such as ship propellers and pumps. During this process, cavitation bubbles focus fluid energy on the solid surface by forming high-speed jets, leading to damage and downtime of machinery. In response, numerous surface treatments to counteract this effect have been explored, including perfluorinated coatings and surface hardening, but they all succumb to cavitation erosion eventually. Here, we report on biomimetic gas-entrapping microtextured surfaces (GEMS) that robustly entrap air when immersed in water regardless of the wetting nature of the substrate. Crucially, the entrapment of air inside the cavities repels cavitation bubbles away from the surface, thereby preventing cavitation damage. We provide mechanistic insights by treating the system as a potential flow problem of a multi-bubble system. Our findings present a possible avenue for mitigating cavitation erosion through the application of inexpensive and environmentally friendly materials.

空化是指在高速流（例如船用螺旋桨和泵）中靠近固体边界的气泡的形成和破裂。在此过程中，空化气泡会通过形成高速射流将流体能量集中在固体表面上，从而导致机器损坏和停机。作为响应，已经探索了许多抵消这种作用的表面处理方法，包括全氟化涂层和表面硬化，但是它们最终都最终会导致气蚀。在这里，我们报道了一种仿生气体截留微织构表面（GEMS），该表面在浸入水中时会牢固地捕获空气，而与基材的润湿特性无关。至关重要的是，腔体内的空气滞留排斥了空化气泡离开表面，从而防止了空化损坏。通过将系统视为多气泡系统的潜在流量问题，我们提供了机械方面的见解。我们的发现为通过应用廉价和环保的材料减轻气蚀提供了一条可能的途径。