Superhydrophobic Surfaces Research Articles

A Comparative Study on the Corrosion Resistance and Long-Term Stability of Hierarchical Superhydrophobic Nickel Coatings Obtained by One-Step and Two-Step Electrodeposition Processes

A Comparative Study on the Corrosion Resistance and Long-Term Stability of Hierarchical Superhydrophobic Nickel Coatings Obtained by One-Step and Two-Step Electrodeposition Processes

Rapidly one-step fabrication of durable superhydrophobic graphene surface with high temperature resistance and self-clean

High temperature resistant and self-cleaning superhydrophobic flexible film has potential application value in lunar exploration. In this paper, a novel method of magnetic field-assisted ultrafast laser induced plasma was proposed to fabricate strongly superhydrophobic graphene on polyimide film with multi-level micro-nano structure. The longitudinal magnetic field contributed to constrain the induced plasma in the lateral direction so as to form a plasma plume with high temperature and high energy density. The multi-level micro-nano graphene structures with better ordering and superhydrophobicity were fabricated, which had a contact angle of 163.1° and a roll-off angle of 1.5°, as well as hydrophobic CC bond content of 72.82 %. The droplets can achieve obvious bouncing at different heights of 1 cm and 5 cm on surfaces at different angles of 0°, 5° and 10°. The contact angle was still greater than 160° after 25 days of aging treatment and heating at 300 °C for 40 min. The water droplets before and after the heating of the sample can push the dust off the surface, showing excellent high temperature resistance and self-cleaning performance.

Machine Learning-Based Stability Prediction and Analysis of Polypropylene Cu-MA Superhydrophobic Coating on the Aluminum Substrate

Machine Learning-Based Stability Prediction and Analysis of Polypropylene Cu-MA Superhydrophobic Coating on the Aluminum Substrate

Anti-corrosion protection of steel with superhydrophobic coatings based on nickel and zinc

Anti-corrosion protection of steel with superhydrophobic coatings based on nickel and zinc

Study of the Impact of Droplets on Superhydrophobic Surfaces

The potential applications of superhydrophobicity for self-cleaning, microfluidic systems, and so on, inspired by the “lotus leaf effect”, have recently attracted great attention from academia and industry. To date, however, neither experimental nor theoretical studies have reached the scalable application of superhydrophobic surfaces, and no simple methods have been developed to produce durable superhydrophobic surfaces. In this project, conical, cylindrical, and cube microstructures with different shapes and dimensions were prepared by 3D printing. Among these structures, the conical microstructures without further modification exhibited the best hydrophobic performance with a contact angle of 120°. However, the hydrophobic performance of the cube microstructures was significantly improved with the addition of an FAS coating to the surface, reaching 131°. This indicates that, with the help of the coating, the 3D printed materials with special features can be transformed into hydrophobic surfaces. The outcome of this project will be useful in promoting the efficient and low-cost preparation of superhydrophobic functional surfaces and their engineering applications.

High-Efficiency Condensation Heat Transfer Interfaces Based on Superwetting Copper Microgroove/Nanocone Structure.

Utilizing superhydrophobic micro/nanostructures to enhance condensation heat transfer (CHT) of copper surfaces has attracted intensive interest in recent years due to its significance in multiple industrial fields including nuclear power generation, thermal management, water harvesting, and desalination. However, superhydrophobic surfaces have instability risk caused by microcavity defect-induced vapor penetration and/or hydrophobic chemistry destruction. Here, we report a superwetting copper hierarchical microgroove/nanocone (MGNC) structure strategy that can realize high-efficiency CHT over a whole range of surface subcooling. By regulating groove width, fin width, groove depth, and nanostructure growth time, we obtain the optimal MGNC structure, where the CHT coefficient is 121% and 107% higher than that of hydrophilic flat surfaces at surface subcooling of 2 and 15 K, respectively. Such remarkable enhancement can be ascribed to the synergy of three interface effects: more nucleation sites for phase-change energy exchanging, thinner condensate films for reducing thermal resistance, and parallel microchannels for timely drainage. Compared with superhydrophobic strategies, our strategy not only can be mass-producible but also has other inherent advantages: no microcavity-induced performance failure risk as well as being free of chemistry modification, which makes the fabrication process simpler and more economic. Hierarchical micropillar/nanocone structure is also fabricated as the contrast sample for highlighting the superiority of the superwetting MGNC structure in enhancing CHT. This work not only enriches research systems of superwettability surfaces but also helps develop high-performance chips' cooling devices and explore more potential applications.

Preparation of superhydrophobic coatings with excellent durability by synergistic reinforcement of cationic starch and tannic acid

The intrinsic hydrophilicity of sustainable and environmentally friendly biobased materials like starch and its derivatives limits their potential as hydrophobic functional materials. This study presents an eco-friendly and non-toxic method to create coatings with exceptionally high hydrophobicity. Octadecyltrimethoxysilane (ODS) reacts with nano silica (SiO2) through a silane coupling reaction to form superhydrophobic SiO2. The Si-OH groups generated from ODS hydrolysis can undergo a condensation reaction with tannic acid (TA), which is rich in phenolic hydroxyl groups. This enables the hydrophobic silane to bind indirectly with cationic starch (CS), resulting in a stable superhydrophobic CS-based coating. The coating demonstrates significant hydrophobicity (contact angle >170°), excellent UV light transmittance (<4.05 %), self-cleaning properties, prolonged shelf life (over eight months), antibacterial activity, and encapsulation capability. It also shows a separation efficiency exceeding 99 % after 25 oil-water separation cycles and is easily recoverable. The study elucidates the mechanism behind the preparation process and the factors enhancing hydrophobic properties. The research findings suggest that the novel, cost-effective CS/TA/ODS/SiO2 coating offers a scalable solution for superhydrophobic applications and broadens the horizon for green starch use in hydrophobic materials.

Fluorine-free superhydrophobic surfaces by atmospheric pressure plasma deposition of silazane-based suspensions

Atmospheric plasma is used to deposit superhydrophobic fluorine-free thin films onto a substrate. In this process, a suspension of micron size silica particles in a silazane based precursor is deposited in a single step using a dielectric barrier discharge plasma jet moving above the substrate. Thanks to an optimized configuration between the suspension injection and the plasma jet, the silazane precursor can be polymerized on the substrate surface but also, on silica particles to form additional micro size particles. The experimental parameters for optimal deposition are discussed, with emphasis on those leading to the formation of this dual roughness surface caused by the arrangement of both silica particles and particles generated from the precursor plasma polymerization. The combination of these two different length scales for the roughness leads to a decreased wettability of the coated substrate and a water contact angle larger than 150°.

Durable self-cleaning superhydrophobic cotton fabrics for wearable textiles

Cotton fabric is widely used in various industrial goods due to its ability to enhance aesthetic appeal, but preserving its shine and genuine appearance presents a significant challenge. In this work, a durable self-cleaning superhydrophobic surface suitable for wearable textiles was achieved on cotton fabrics by applying a composite coating of stearic acid-modified titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) through a simple dip/spray coating technique. The fabric surface displayed an exceptional water contact angle (WCA) of 165 ± 2° and a minimal slide angle (SA) of approximately 2°, demonstrating outstanding water repellency and sliding characteristics. The surface exhibited impressive self-cleaning abilities for both dust particles and muddy water. The coated cloth maintained its exceptional superhydrophobic properties even after being subjected to 40 abrasion cycles, 30 adhesive tape peels, nearly 60 min of ultrasound treatment, and 30 washing cycles. Additionally, the as-coated cotton showed excellent chemical stability, tensile strength, flexibility, air permeability and breathability. The model trials with a baby doll have proven the high possibility of commercializing self-cleaning clothing in this research.

Anti-corrosion superhydrophobic micro-GF/micro-TiB2/nano-SiO2 based coating with braid strengthening structure fabricated by a single-step spray deposition

Superhydrophobic surfaces with self-cleaning, anti-biofouling and corrosion resistance merits are attractive for applications in major engineering fields. Generally, these surfaces possess low-surface-energy chemistry and micro- or nanoscale surface roughness. However, rough surfaces are fragile and highly susceptible to abrasion for high local pressures under mechanical load, causing loss of superhydrophobicity. In this study, we proposed a "fiber weaving/hard particles embedding-soft membrane" strategy to construct a kind of organic-inorganic composite coating by embedding micro-glass fiber (GF)/micro-TiB2/nano-SiO2 particles into the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)@polyurethane (PU) for fabricating robust superhydrophobic coating. The addition of micro-nano ceramic particles plays two roles including "hard" micro-skeletons to overcome vulnerable issue of "soft" organic membrane and creation of wear-resistant bearing points on the surface. Furthermore, "soft" membrane can absorb stress when subjected to external mechanical force and PU serves as an adhesive to improve interfacial bond strength. Additionally, GF intersperses in the coating, providing anchoring effect and PDMS serves as a modifier to decrease surface energy. Consequently, the proposed hybrid coating could simultaneously augment its mechanical robustness and multifunctional performance, breaking the notorious "trade-off" restriction of superhydrophobic coating. The preparation parameters and operation condition on the performance of the coating were investigated systematacially. The optimized superhydrophobic coating exhibits the highest water contact angle (WCA) of 167.3° ± 3.9°, the lowest sliding angle (SA) of 4.6° ± 1.3°, corrosion protection efficiency of 95.7 % in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, with exceptional self-cleaning, anti-pollution, adaptability to various substrates, thermostable, anti-icing and mechanical stability properties, among the top-tier multifunctional performance. The inherent properties of micro-glass fiber, micro-TiB2 and nano-SiO2 ceramics and their highly ordered arrangement in the superhydrophobic coating are expected to provide an effective and versatile design proposal for potential applications in corrosion protection.

An analytical approach for determining contact angle hysteresis on smooth, micropillared, and micropored homogeneous surfaces

HypothesisNumerous theoretical models have been developed from various research perspectives, including free energy analysis, force balance, and contact line dynamics, to elucidate the contact angle hysteresis on solid surfaces, especially for superhydrophobic surfaces. However, these models can produce inconsistent predictions, and few of them account for contact angle hysteresis on smooth and microstructured surfaces simultaneously. TheoryFormulas for advancing and receding free energy barriers of drops on different solid surfaces were derived, and then these formulas were simplified by incorporating the geometric constraint equation of drops, leading to an establishment of analytical models. FindingsThis study presented a unified approach for deriving analytical models of contact angle hysteresis for various wetting systems, including drops on smooth homogeneous surfaces, Cassie drops on micropillared and micropored homogeneous surfaces, and Wenzel drops on micropillared homogeneous surfaces. The established models revealed a significant impact of frictional tension, and of the change in free energy during drop motion, on the free energy barriers. These models were fully derived thermodynamically without subsequent theoretical modifications and found to agree well with experimental results. Some of the models in this study were validated using other existing models, despite the models having been developed using completely different approaches.

An integrated approach for developing a durable and superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coating inspired by biomimetic starfish surface structures

Applying superhydrophobic coatings with excellent anti-corrosion, anti-fouling, self-cleaning, antibacterial, and wear-resistant properties is a promising approach to protect metal surfaces. This study presents a novel and cost-effective approach, inspired by the biomimetic structure of starfish, to develop a durable and superhydrophobic coating. Unlike traditional methods, we introduce a meticulously engineered tetrapodal ZnO@SiO2-fluorosilane composite that forms a unique hierarchical micro-nano core-shell structure, reducing surface energy and exceptional performance. The formulation combines perfluorooctyl triethoxysilane (FOTS)-modified SiO2, silicone polyester, and tetrapodal ZnO (T-ZnO) in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), resulting in a first-of-its-kind T-ZnO@SiO2-FOTS (ZSF) coating with superhydrophobic properties, demonstrated by a water contact angle of 160°, a sliding angle of 3°, and the lowest surface free energy of 14.50 mN/m, contributing to excellent anti-corrosion properties (corrosion rate of 1.44 × 10−6 mm/year) and a corrosion inhibition efficiency of 99.87 %. In addition, the coating exhibits remarkable mechanical durability, adhesion enhancement, and stability against harsh environmental agents, including salt spray, HCl, and NaOH. Our biomimetic approach leverages the starfish-inspired surface design and highly crosslinked interface to enhance resilience, making this coating more robust under real-world conditions. These results provide a promising pathway for the development of multifunctional coating materials suitable for various solid surfaces.

Superhydrophobic Corrosion-Resistant Coating of AZ91D Magnesium Alloy: Preparation and Performance

This research presents the development of a surface treatment for AZ91D magnesium alloy that exhibits both superhydrophobic and anticorrosive properties. Initially, a zinc-based phosphate film was deposited on the magnesium alloy surface. Subsequently, a composite coating with superhydrophobic properties was produced by surface modification using a fluorosilane-ethanol solution. The composite coating’s microstructure, chemical composition, wettability, self-cleaning, and anti-corrosion properties were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, a contact angle measurement instrument, and an electrochemical workstation. The results demonstrated that the main components of the composite coating were P, O, Zn, F, and C. The static contact angle reached 158°, providing superior self-cleaning and acid and alkali corrosion resistance. Additionally, the charge transfer resistance and coating resistance of the composite coating were significantly higher than those of the magnesium alloy substrate, effectively preventing corrosion and preserving the surface from fouling.

Functional UV Blocking and Superhydrophobic Coatings Based on Functionalized CeO2 and Al2O3 Nanoparticles in a Polyurethane Nanocomposite.

Water repellency has significant potential in applications like self-cleaning coatings, anti-staining textiles, and electronics. This study introduces a novel nanocomposite system incorporating functionalized Al2O3 and CeO2 nanoparticles within a polyurethane matrix to achieve hydrophobic and UV-blocking properties. The nanoparticles were functionalized using an octadecyl phosphonic acid solution and characterized by FTIR and XPS, confirming non-covalent functionalization. Spin-coated polyurethane coatings with functionalized and non-functionalized Al2O3, CeO2, and binary Al2O3-CeO2 nanoparticles were analyzed. The three-layered Al2O3-CeO2-ODPA binary system achieved a contact angle of 166.4° and 85% transmittance in the visible range. Incorporating this binary functionalized system into a 0.4% w/v polyurethane solution resulted in a nanocomposite with 75% visible transmittance, 60% at 365 nm UV, and a 147.7° contact angle after three layers. These findings suggest that ODPA-functionalized nanoparticles, when combined with a polymer matrix, offer a promising approach to developing advanced hydrophobic and UV-protective coatings with potential applications across various industrial sectors.

Amyloid Proteins Adhesive for Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces.

Biomimetic slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) have emerged as a promising solution to solve the limitations of superhydrophobic surfaces, such as inadequate durability in corrosion protection and a propensity for frosting. However, the challenge of ensuring strong, lasting adhesion on diverse materials to enhance the durability of the lubricant layer remains. The research addresses this by leveraging amyloid phase-transitioned lysozyme (PTL) as an adhesive interlayer, conferring stable attachment of SLIPS across a variety of substrates, including metals, inorganics, and polymers. The silica-textured interface robustly secures the lubricant with a notably low sliding angle of 1.15°. PTL-mediated adhesion fortifies the silicone oil attachment to the substrate, ensuring the retention of its repellent efficacy amidst mechanical stressors like ultrasonication, water scrubbing, and centrifugation. The integration of robust adhesion, cross-substrate compatibility, and durability under stress affords the PTL-modified SLIPS exceptional anti-fouling, anti-icing, and anti-corrosion properties, marking it as a leading solution for advanced protective applications.

Efficiently all-weather anti-icing and de-icing coatings enabled by polyaniline microcapsules encapsulated phase change materials

Photothermal superhydrophobic coatings are one of the most promising anti-icing/de-icing materials. However, the intermittence of light energy limits the application of photothermal energy conversion technologies when continuous de-icing is required. Herein, an innovative solution for the integration of photothermal effect and phase change thermal storage was proposed. In this work, an efficient anti-icing/de-icing coating was successfully fabricated based on multifunctional polyaniline microcapsule encapsulating butyl stearate (BS). Benefiting from the heat storage capacity of BS in the microcapsule, the coating could achieve all-weather anti-icing capability. Under the condition of −20 °C, the freezing time of water droplets on the coating with only 10 wt% microcapsules was delayed by about 12.6 times compared to the blank coating. At the same time, under simulated dark conditions, the freezing time of water droplets could be delayed by about 14.1 times. Moreover, owing to the thermal conductivity and high solar energy exploitation, polyaniline endowed the coating with outstanding photothermal de-icing performance, presenting the superiority of outdoor applications. Under NIR (200 mW/cm2) illumination, the melting time of water droplets was reduced to 18 s, which was nearly 10 times faster than that on the blank coating. Moreover, the polyaniline microcapsules also possessed outstanding anticorrosion property, which was particularly attractive for mental coating applications. The combined properties of this all-weather anti-icing and de-icing coating could render it a promising contender for challenging outdoor applications.

Construction of a superhydrophobic surface with long-term durability on 5052 Aluminium for corrosion protection

Superhydrophobic surfaces have been demonstrated to offer exceptional corrosion protection for metal surfaces. However, long-term stability issues have plagued superhydrophobic surfaces. In this study, a durable superhydrophobic surface on aluminum (SHC-Al) was created using etching combined with anodizing followed by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) modification. To optimize the multi-scale rough structures, the optimal anodizing conditions were explored in detail. The superhydrophobic surfaces were analyzed using Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Confocal laser microscopy (CLSM), X-ray energy spectrometry (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle (CA) measurements, stability tests, and electrochemical analysis. The results reveal the successful preparation of a nest-like micro-nano composite structure on metal surface, and the contact and sliding angles of SHC-Al were measured at 157.6° and 6°, demonstrating the formation of excellent superhydrophobic surface. Electrochemical tests showed a corrosion current density of only 1.38 × 10–9 A∙cm-2 for SHC-Al, with a corrosion inhibition efficiency of 99.97 %, highlighting its outstanding anti-corrosion performance. Furthermore, stability tests demonstrated the SHC-Al surface had long-term durability. This study not only provides new evidence for the preparation of long-lasting superhydrophobic surfaces, but also provides a new solution for the practical application of superhydrophobic surfaces.

Functionalized super-hydrophobic nanocomposite surface integrating with anti-icing and drag reduction properties

Anti-icing and drag reduction are two significant issues for aircraft, but functional surfaces integrating both properties are rarely reported. Here, we propose a functional super-hydrophobic nanocomposite surface with sharkskin-like groove structures, which achieves the combination of anti-icing and drag reduction properties. The nanocomposite surface was prepared by stripping polydimethylsiloxane doped with carbon nanotubes from a laser-prepared sharkskin-like structure mold and then spraying a layer of polytetrafluoroethylene hydrophobic coating. The microstructures and nanoparticles with low surface energy provide the surface with hydrophobicity and icephobicity, enabling droplet transitions between Cassie and Wenzel states during icing-melting process. Carbon nanotubes enhance the Joule heating performance when voltage is applied. Ice at interface melts into water film, significantly reducing adhesion and enabling efficient anti-icing. Under the influence of the bionic sharkskin riblet structure, the vortices are lifted and pinned above the riblet tips, which reduces the near-wall velocity gradient and total wall shear stress, ultimately leading to lower drag. In addition, the flexible surface undergoes adaptive deformation to more effectively conform to the fluid flow during motion. The riblet protrusions increase the contact area between the flexible surface and the fluid, thereby enabling the absorption of more turbulent energy and fluctuations, further reduces drag. This study presents a new method for manufacturing functional surfaces for practical anti-icing and drag reduction applications.

Spreading of droplet impact on ribbed superhydrophobic surfaces with varying structure height

Hypothesis:Quantifying droplet spreading characteristics on ribbed superhydrophobic surfaces is challenging due to the complex fluid dynamics, limiting the practical applications. Droplet spreading dynamics are significantly influenced by the diameter ratio (rib diameter to droplet diameter) and height ratio (structure height to rib diameter) during impact. Experiment:Ribbed superhydrophobic surfaces with diameter ratios (0.18 to 0.75) and height ratios (0.125 to 0.5) underwent impact experiments with droplets at varied Weber numbers. Through simulations and analysis, we summarized the patterns of the maximum ribwise spreading coefficient, elucidated the droplet spreading mechanism on ribbed superhydrophobic surfaces. Findings:The findings revealed asymmetry in impact dynamics on ribbed superhydrophobic surfaces in the ribwise and radial directions. The maximum ribwise spreading coefficient initially decreases, followed by increase with increasing diameter ratio, decreasing in a slowing down trend with increasing height ratio. These observations indicated that maximum ribwise spreading coefficient can be minimize with critical ratios. Comparatively, the maximum spreading coefficient at critical height ratios is 72.7% to 92.3% of that on flat surfaces. To precisely forecast maximum ribwise spreading coefficient, two models are introduced for diameter ratios below and above critical range when height ratios below the critical range.

Efficient and Controllable Preparation of Super-Hydrophobic Alumina-Based Ceramics Coating on Aviation Al-Li Alloy Surface for Corrosion Resistance and Anti-Icing Behavior

Al-Li alloys have been widely applied in aircraft structural component and shell material. However, Al-Li alloys are prone to corrosion failure, which leads to a considerable safety risk in the aerospace field and greatly limits their industrial application. Herein, a simple, low-cost, and large-scale air-spraying technique is developed for the preparation of an alumina-based ceramics coating with enhanced corrosion resistance and anti-icing behavior. The results show that the static contact angle of the as-prepared coating is 157.2 ± 0.4°, and the rolling angle is only 9.8°, suggesting a super-hydrophobic surface. Meanwhile, the electrochemical corrosion potential of the coating is 70 mV higher than that of the substrate, and the corrosion current density of the coating also decreases by 1 order of magnitude, indicating a significantly improved corrosion resistance. In addition, the fabricated super-hydrophobic coating also shows excellent anti-pollution and anti-icing characteristics. This work provides positive guidance for expanding the application of hydrophobic coating in the aerospace industry, especially in some complex corrosion, icing, and pollution environments.