Abstract
We show that mildly alkaline electrolytes can be used to produce Zn coatings that improve the water repellent properties of stainless steel. Optimal Zn deposits were prepared under potentiostatic conditions from electrolytes that contained ZnCl2, NH4Cl, and a surfactant (polyethyleneimine). After deposition, the Zn electrodeposit was capped with stearic acid to prevent oxidation and to provide a lower surface energy. The capped electrodeposits display an impressive degree of water repellency, including extremely poor water droplet adhesion. We discuss the range of deposition parameters (electrolyte composition, pH, and applied potential) that produce the best water-repellent electrodeposits.
Highlights
Controlling the way that water wets a surface is a very popular research subject because it affects how durable the material will be against factors such as corrosion, ice accretion,[1,2] and fouling.[3]
We demonstrate that a mildly alkaline electrolyte that contains a surfactant can be used to produce Zn electrodeposits that have very low adhesion for macroscopic water droplets
Intensity with optimized water repellency show eight peaks that are consistent with hexagonal Zn (P63/mmc (194), JCPDS card 98-000-0482 with a = 2.6650 Å, c = 4.9470 Å).[27]
Summary
Controlling the way that water wets a surface is a very popular research subject because it affects how durable the material will be against factors such as corrosion, ice accretion,[1,2] and fouling.[3]. We demonstrate that a mildly alkaline electrolyte (pH=8) that contains a surfactant (polyethyleneimine, PEI) can be used to produce Zn electrodeposits that have very low adhesion for macroscopic water droplets.
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