Fast fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces on Ti–6Al–4V substrates by deposition of lead

Abstract

In this paper, superhydrophobic Pb surfaces on Ti–6Al–4V substrates were fabricated based on immersion method in just 30–60 s followed by subsequent low surface energy materials modification. Hierarchical micro- and nanoscale structures were generated on titanium alloy substrates when immersed in Pb(CH3COO)2 solution. Then, the as-immersed specimens were chemically modified via fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) so as to reduce the surface energy. The as-prepared superhydrophobic Pb-coated titanium alloy surfaces, including morphologies, chemical compositions, and wettability were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) and contact angle measurements. The results showed that the Pb coatings on Ti–6Al–4V substrates displayed good superhydrophobicity with water contact angle of 165.5° ± 2.4° and sliding angle of 4.6° ± 2.1°. Additionally, variations in micro-morphologies, surface roughness, static and dynamic water contact angles of FAS-modified Pb-coated titanium alloy surfaces with immersion time were also investigated, and the prepared superhydrophobic surfaces exhibited long-term stability in air, good self-cleaning and anti-corrosion properties.