A facile preparation of durable superhydrophobic PFA coatings with superior anti-icing, anti-corrosion and self-cleaning performance

Abstract

The potential of superhydrophobic coatings for various applications has been widely recognized. However, preparing durable superhydrophobic coatings on metal surfaces remains a significant challenge. Perfluoroalkoxy Alkane (PFA), a fluorine-rich material, has recently emerged as a promising candidate for constructing superhydrophobic coatings. In this study, a mechanically stable superhydrophobic PFA coating was prepared using a simple combination of electrodeposition and annealing. The prepared PFA coating displays excellent water repellency, as evidenced by a water contact angle of 171 ± 0.3° and a sliding angle of 1.0 ± 0.4° The water contact angle of the coating only decreases by 0.6°after undergoing 400 tape stripping tests, indicating the remarkable stability. The PFA coating significantly prolongs the freezing time of water droplets on a cool surface at temperatures of -6 °C, -8 °C, and -10 °C, with improvements of 19.4, 72.5, and 47.8 times respectively. The corrosion current density on the coated surface is reduced by four orders of magnitude compared to bare aluminum alloy, and the PFA coating exhibits a high inhibition corrosion efficiency of 99.995 %. Furthermore, the coating possesses exceptional self-cleaning performance by repelling dirt particles and maintaining a clean surface. Consequently, the developed superhydrophobic PFA coating holds significant promise for long-lasting anti-icing, anti-corrosion and self-cleaning applications.