Superhydrophobicity of Bionic Alumina Surfaces Fabricated by Hard Anodizing

Bionic alumina samples were fabricated on convex dome type aluminum alloy substrate using hard anodizing technique. The convex domes on the bionic sample were fabricated by compression molding under a compressive stress of 92.5 MPa. The water contact angles of the as-anodized bionic samples were measured using a contact angle meter （JC2000A） with the 3μL water drop at room temperature. The measurement of the wetting property showed that the water contact angle of the unmodi- fied as-anodized bionic alumina samples increases from 90° to 137° with the anodizing time. The increase in water contract angle with anodizing time arises from the gradual formation of hierarchical structure or composite structure. The structure is composed of the micro-scaled alumina columns and pores. The height of columns and the depth of pores depend on the ano- dizing time. The water contact angle increases significantly from 96° to 152° when the samples were modified with self-assembled monolayer of octadecanethiol （ODT）, showing a change in the wettability from hydrophobicity to su- per-hydrophobicity. This improvement in the wetting property chemical modification. is attributed to the decrease in the surface energy caused by the

Morphologies and Superhydrophobicity of Hybrid Film Surfaces Based on Silica and Fluoropolymer

Fluoropolymer and different kinds of silica particles were used for controlling surface chemistry and morphology, respectively. A superhydrophobic surface originated from strawberry-like or quincunx-shaped composite silica particles was obtained. The dual size particles are obtained by utilizing the graft of different modified silica particles with epoxy functional group and amine functional group, This makes the surface of film form a composite interface to have irregular binary structure which plays an essential role in trapping air between the substrate surface and the liquid droplets to be necessary for high contact angle and low contact angle hysteresis. The maximum contact angle for water on the hybrid film is about 174±2° and the contact angle hysteresis is less than 2°. The surface morphologies, roughness and the wettability on the surface of films containing different structural silica particles were compared. It was shown that the hierarchical irregularly structure with a low roughness factor and high air-trapped ratio is indispensable for superhydrophobic surface. Although this structural surfaces based on composite silica particles play a vital role in governing the surface wettability, it is necessary to combine with a low surface energy to make the surface superhydrophobic.

Preparation and photocatalytic property of Fe_(2)O_(3)/ZnO composites with superhydrophobicity

A facile approach was developed to construct Fe_(2)O_(3)-modified ZnO micro/nanostructures with excellent superhydrophobicity and photocatalytic activities.The effects of stearic acid(SA)and Fe_(2)O_(3) on the morphological characteristics,water contact angle(WCA),and photocatalytic degradation were investigated.Superhydrophobicity results showed that WCA increased from 144°±2°to 154°±2°when the weight of SA increased from 5 to 20 mg because of the formation of a hierarchical or rough structure.Furthermore,Fe_(2)O_(3)-modified ZnO micro/nanostructure surfaces before and after SA treatment(20 mg)were chosen to evaluate the photodegradation of methylene blue(MB)dye under the support of visible light.MB degraded after 80 min of irradiation,and its photodegradation efficiencies were 91.5%at the superhydrophobic state and 92%at the hydrophilic state.This improvement in photocatalytic activity at both states might be attributed to an increase in surface area and improvement in charge carrier separation.

ZIF-8-based micro-arc oxidation composite coatings enhanced the corrosion resistance and superhydrophobicity of a Mg alloy

Mg alloys are considered the most promising engineering materials because of their unique properties.However,the uncontrolled corrosion rate of these alloys limits their applications.Therefore,in this study,a micro-arc oxidation layer was used as a transition layer to“directly”grow a zinc-based metal-organic framework(MOF)composite coating on the surface of a Mg alloy(AZ91D).Herein,the two zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF-8)coatings with different morphologies were separately prepared by homologous metal oxide induction and a one-step in-situ growth method.The superhydrophobic composite coating showed strong hydrophobicity and self-cleaning properties,which could prevent the penetration of water and corrosive ions(Cl^(−))into the surface of AZ91D.Electrochemical tests demonstrated that the super-hydrophobic composite coatings greatly enhanced the corrosion resistance of AZ91D,and the corrosion current density decreased from 10^(−5)to 10^(−9)A/cm^(2).These results indicate that the ZIF-8 coatings are beneficial for improving the hydrophobicity and enhancing the corrosion resistance of Mg alloys.Therefore,MOF composite coatings provide a new strategy that can be used to prepare multifunctional anticorrosion coatings on metal substrates.

Corrosion resistance and superhydrophobicity of one-step polypropylene coating on anodized AZ31 Mg alloy

Superhydrophobic coatings have been considerably used in corrosion and its protection of metallic Mg.And the comprehensive performance(hydrophobicity,bonding strength,and corrosion resistance,etc.)of the top coating may be highly dependent on the physical and chemical properties of the primer or under coat.Herein,an integrated superhydrophobic polypropylene(PP)coating was fabricated on the micro-arc oxidized Mg substrate via one-step dipping.Surface morphologies and chemical compositions of the composite coating were examined through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM)together with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The surface wettability of the coating was determined by contact angle and sliding angle.The corrosion-resistant performance was evaluated via electrochemical and immersion measurements.The results showed that the hybrid coating possessed micron-scaled granular structure on the surface with a high water contact angle of 167.2±0.8°and a low water sliding angle of 2.7±0.5°.The corrosion resistance of superhydrophobic coating was obviously enhanced with a low corrosion current density of 8.76×10^(−9)A/cm^(2),and the coating still maintained integrity after 248 h of immersion in 3.5wt%NaCl aqueous solution.The MAO coating provides better adhesion of PP to the surface.Hence,the superhydrophobic coating exhibited superior bonding strength,corrosion resistance and durability.

ELECTROSPRAYING/ELECTROSPINNING OF POLY(γ-STEARYL-LGLUTAMATE):FORMATION OF SURFACES WITH SUPERHYDROPHOBICITY

Electrospraying/electrospinning of poly(γ-stearyl-L-glutamate) (PSLG) was investigated on a series solutions with different concentrations in chloroform.Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and attenuated Iotal reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR/ATR) were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the electrosprayed/electrospun polypeptide mats.It was found that electrospraying of PSLG with concentrations lower than 16 wt% afforded beads,while microfibers cou...

Enhanced mechanical stability and corrosion resistance ofsuperhydrophobic coating reinforced with inorganic binder

The development of superhydrophobic materials has demonstrated significant potential in the realm ofcorrosion protection for aluminum alloy(Al alloy)surfaces.However,the limited mechanical stability ofsuperhydrophobic surfaces has impeded the rapid advancement in this field.In this research,we synthesized analuminum phosphate(AP)inorganic binder and combined it with hydrophobic fumed SiO_(2)(HF-SiO_(2))nanoparticles andpolydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)to develop a HF-SiO_(2)@PDMS@AP superhydrophobic composite coating with improvedmechanical stability on Al alloy substrates using a simple spray-coating technique.The findings indicate that the additionof the AP inorganic binder significantly enhanced the coating’s resistance to abrasion,maintaining its superhydrophobicproperties and micro-nano hierarchical structure even after being subjected to a sandpaper abrasion distance of 2000 cm.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)testing showed that the low-frequency modulus(|Z|0.01Hz)of theHF-SiO_(2)@PDMS@AP superhydrophobic coating increased by four orders of magnitude compared to the initial Al alloysubstrate,resulting in a substantial improvement in corrosion protection capacity.The impressive corrosion resistanceand mechanical stability exhibited by this coating have the potential to greatly expand the practical applications of suchmaterials for surface functional protection in marine and industrial environments.

Induction of Superhydrophobicity in a Cellulose Substrate by LbL Assembly of Covalently Linked Dual-Sized Silica Nanoparticles Layers

Micro/nano texturized oxidized cellulose membranes (MNOCM) were constructed by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly in which a base cellulose film was modified by covalent linkages to amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles (amino-SiO2 NPs, 260 nm diameter) and epoxy-functionalized silica nanoparticles (epoxy-SiO2 NPs, 30 nm diameter). The amino-SiO2 NPs grafted onto the MNOCM surface through a standard amidation reaction between the amino groups of the SiO2 NPs and the carboxyl groups of the MNOCM surface in the presence of EDC and NHS consequently forming a first layer of large (260 nm) nanoparticles;subsequently, it was reacted with smaller (30 nm) epoxy-SiO2 NPs. Continuous repetitions of these alternating sized silica NPs through a standard LbL approach lead to a highly micro/nano-texturized MNOCM film as shown by SEM, which was ultimately sealed with a layer of hydrophobic PFOTES (1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane). Although the wettability of MNOCM was no longer hydrophilic, it was found that at five layers deep of NPs, it became superhydrophobic as evidenced by a water contact angle of 151° ± 2° and slide angle of 4°. The change in wettability was attributed to increases in final LbL layer surface roughness induced by the sufficient LbL layering of alternating sizes of NPs akin to what is observed in a lotus leaf surface. It was also noted that these superhydrophobic-MNOCM materials displayed good self-cleaning.

Superhydrophobic Surface-Assisted Preparation of Microspheres and Supraparticles and Their Applications

Superhydrophobic surface(SHS) has been well developed, as SHS renders the property of minimizing the water/solid contact interface. Water droplets deposited onto SHS with contact angles exceeding 150°, allow them to retain spherical shapes, and the low adhesion of SHS facilitates easy droplet collection when tilting the substrate. These characteristics make SHS suitable for a wide range of applications. One particularly promising application is the fabrication of microsphere and supraparticle materials. SHS offers a distinct advantage as a universal platform capable of providing customized services for a variety of microspheres and supraparticles. In this review, an overview of the strategies for fabricating microspheres and supraparticles with the aid of SHS, including cross-linking process, polymer melting,and droplet template evaporation methods, is first presented. Then, the applications of microspheres and supraparticles formed onto SHS are discussed in detail, for example, fabricating photonic devices with controllable structures and tunable structural colors, acting as catalysts with emerging or synergetic properties, being integrated into the biomedical field to construct the devices with different medicinal purposes, being utilized for inducing protein crystallization and detecting trace amounts of analytes. Finally,the perspective on future developments involved with this research field is given, along with some obstacles and opportunities.

Robustα-Fe_(2)O_(3)/Epoxy Resin Superhydrophobic Coatings for Anti-icing Property

α-Fe_(2)O_(3)/epoxy resin composite superhydrophobic coating was prepared withα-Fe_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles and epoxy resin by spin coating method.The coating without epoxy resin has higher contact angle(CA)and lower ice adhesion strength(IAS),but the mechanical properties are poor.Theα-Fe_(2)O_(3)/epoxy resin composite superhydrophobic coating exhibits good mechanical durability.In addition,compared with the bare aluminum substrate,the Ecorr of the composite coating is positive and the Jcorr is lower.The inhibition efficiency of the composite coating is as high as 99.98%in 3.5 wt%NaCl solution.The difference in the microstructure caused by the two preparation methods leads to the changes in mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of composite superhydrophobic coating.

Robust,Flexible,and Superhydrophobic Fabrics for High-Efficiency and Ultrawide-Band Microwave Absorption

Microwave absorption(MA)materials are essential for protecting against harmful electromagnetic radiation.In this study,highly efficient and ultrawide-band microwave-absorbing fabrics with superhydrophobic surface features were developed using a facile dip-coating method involving in situ graphene oxide(GO)reduction,deposition of TiO_(2) nanoparticles,and subsequent coating of a mixture of polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)and octadecylamine(ODA)on polyester fabrics.Owing to the presence of hierarchically structured surfaces and low-surface-energy materials,the resultant reduced GO(rGO)/TiO_(2)-ODA/PDMS-coated fabrics demonstrate superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 159°and sliding angle of 5°.Under the synergistic effects of conduction loss,interface polarization loss,and surface roughness topography,the optimized fabrics show excellent microwave absorbing performances with a minimum reflection loss(RL_(min))of47.4 dB and a maximum effective absorption bandwidth(EAB_(max))of 7.7 GHz at a small rGO loading of 6.9 wt%.In addition,the rGO/TiO_(2)-ODA/PDMS coating was robust,and the coated fabrics could withstand repeated washing,soiling,long-term ultraviolet irradiation,and chemical attacks without losing their superhydrophobicity and MA properties.Moreover,the coating imparts self-healing properties to the fabrics.This study provides a promising and effective route for the development of robust and flexible materials with microwave-absorbing properties.

Superhydrophobic Co/Fe sulfide nanoparticles and single-atoms doped carbon nanosheets composite air cathode for high-performance zinc-air batteries

Development of a high-performance bifunctional catalyst is essential for the actual implementation of zinc-air batteries in practical applications.Herein,a bifunctional cathode of Co_(3)S_(4)/FeS heterogeneous nanoparticles embedded in Co/Fe single-atom-loaded nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets is designed.Cobalt-iron sulfides and single atomic sites with Co-N_(4)/Fe-N_(4)configurations are confirmed to coexist on the carbon matrix by EXAFS spectroscopy.3D self-supported super-hydrophobic multiphase composite cathode provides abundant active sites and facilitates gas–liquid-solid three-phase interface reactions,resulting in excellent electrocatalytic activity and batteries performance,i.e.,an OER overpotential(η_(10))of 260 mV,a half-wave potential(E_(1/2))of 0.872 V for ORR,aΔE of 0.618 V,and a discharge power density of 170 mW cm^(−2),a specific capacity of 816.3 mAh g^(−1).DFT analysis shows multiphase coupling of sulfide heterojunction through single-atomic metal doped carbon nanosheets reduces offset on center of electronic density of states before and after oxygen adsorption,and spin density of adsorbed oxygen with same spin orientation,leading to weakened charge/spin interactions between adsorbed oxygen and substrate,and a lowered oxygen adsorption energy to accelerate OER/ORR.

Fabrication and anti-corrosion performance of superhydrophobic silane film on sintered NdFeB

An eco-friendly superhydrophobic protective film(DTMS/TEOS silane film)was fabricated on sintered NdFeB substrate through the utilization of electrochemically assisted deposition technology.The structure,properties,and film-forming mechanism of dodecyltrime-thoxysilane(DTMS)/tetraethoxysilane(TEOS)silane films were comprehensively analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).Based on the test results,it can be determined that this film has a superhydrophobic property with a hydrophobicity angle of 152°.This special property can be attributed to the long alkyl chains in the DTMS molecule,the rough morphology,and the low surface energy of the DTMS/TEOS silane film.The surface of sintered NdFeB is coated with a layered three-dimensional network silane film that forms through the condensation of silanol substances.This film provides excellent corrosion resistance to the sintered NdFeB substrate,reducing its corrosion current density to 2.02×10~(-6)A/cm~2.Moreover,the impact of film on the magnetic characteristics of sintered NdFeB was assessed and found to be minimal.

Superhydrophobic melamine sponge prepared by radiation-induced grafting technology for efficient oil-water separation

This paper presents a superhydrophobic melamine(ME)sponge(ME-g-PLMA)prepared via high-energy radiation-induced in situ covalent grafting of long-alkyl-chain dodecyl methacrylate(LMA)onto an ME sponge for efficient oil–water separation.The obtained ME-g-PLMA sponge had an excellent pore structure with superhydrophobic(water contact angle of 154°)and superoleophilic properties.It can absorb various types of oils up to 66–168 times its mass.The ME-g-PLMA sponge can continuously separate oil slicks in water by connecting a pump or separating oil underwater with a gravity-driven device.In addition,it maintained its highly hydrophobic properties even after long-term immersion in different corrosive solutions and repeated oil adsorption.The modified ME-g-PLMA sponge exhibited excellent separation properties and potential for oil spill cleanup.

Characterization of Flame Retardancy and Oil-Water Separation Capacity of Superhydrophobic Silylated Melamine Sponges

A silylated melamine sponge(SMS)was prepared by two simple steps,namely,immersion and dehydration of a melamine sponge coated with methyltrichlorosilane.The silylated structure of SMS was characterized by FT-IR(Fourier-transform infrared)spectroscopy,SEM(Scanning electron microscopy)and in terms of water contact angles.Its oil-water absorption and separation capacities were measured by FT-IR and UV-visible spectrophoto-metry.The experimental results have shown that oligomeric silanol covalently bonds by Si-N onto the surface of melamine sponge skeletons.SMS has shown superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle exceeding 150°±1°,a better separation efficiency with regard to diesel oil(by 99.31%(wt/wt%)in oil-water mixture and even up to 99.99%(wt/wt%)for diesel oil in its saturated aqueous solution.Moreover,SMS inherited the intrinsicflame retardancy of the melamine sponge.In general,SMS has shown superhydrophobicity,high porosity,excellent selectivity,remarkable recyclability,and better absorption capacity for various oils and organic solvents,and a high separation efficiency for oil in saturated aqueous solutions.

Construction of Renewable Superhydrophobic Surfaces via Thermally Induced Phase Separation and Mechanical Peeling

We report a simple preparation method of a renewable superhydrophobic surface by thermally induced phase separation （TIPS） and mechanical peeling. Porous polyvinylidene fluoride （PVDF） membranes with hierarchical structures were prepared by a TIPS process under different cooling conditions, which were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry. After peeling off the top layer, rough structures with hundreds of nanometers to several microns were obtained. A digital microscopy determines that the surface roughness of peeled PVDF membranes is much higher than that of the original PVDF membrane, which is important to obtain the superhydrophobicity. Water contact angle and sliding angle measurements demonstrate that the peeled membrane surfaces display super- hydrophobicity with a high contact angle （152°） and a low sliding angle （7.2°）. Moreover, the superhydrophobicity can be easily recovered for many times by a simple mechanical peeling, identical to the original superhydrophobicity. This simple preparation method is low cost, and suitable for large-scale industrialization, which may offer more opportunities for practical applications.

Modeling Superhydrophobic Contact Angles and Wetting Transition

It is well known that surface roughness has a very important effect on superhydrophobicity.The Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models,which correspond to the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting respectively,are currently primary instructions for designing superhydrophobic surfaces.However,the particular drop shape that a drop exhibits might depend on how it is formed. A water drop can occupy multiple equilibrium states,which relate to different local minimal energy.In some cases,both equilibrium states can even co-exist on a same substrate.Thus the apparent contact angles may vary and have different values.We discuss how the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations determine the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting theoretically. Contact angle analysis on hierarchical surface structure and contact angle hysteresis has been put specific attention.In particular, we study the energy barrier of transition from Cassie-Baxter state to Wenzel state,based on existing achievement by previous researchers,to determine the possibility of the transition and how it can be interpreted.It has been demonstrated that surface roughness and geometry will influence the energy required for a drop to get into equilibrium,no matter it is homogeneous or heterogeneous wetting.

Fabrication of corrosion-resistant superhydrophobic coating on magnesium alloy by one-step electrodeposition method

A one-step electrodeposition method was used to construct a superhydrophobic coating on the surface of magnesium alloy.Using magne-sium nitrate and ethanol solution of stearic acid as electrolyte,four groups of electrolytes with different ratios of stearic acid and magnesium nitrate were designed to explore the influence of electrolyte to the process.The contact angles of the four coating samples were 136.4±5.8°,152.7±2.8°,156.2±4.9°and 155.1±4.4°The addition of magnesium nitrate in the solution increased the hydrogen evolution reaction in the electrodeposition process,which was not conducive to electrodeposition process.During the deposition process,the sample prepared in a molar ratio of stearic acid to magnesium nitrate of 10:1 had the best corrosion resistance,and its corrosion circuit density was 3.74×10^(−8)A/cm^(2),far lower than the corrosion current density of the magnesium alloy substrate.

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Micro Post Array on Aluminum Substrates Using Mask Electrochemical Machining

Surfaces with controllable micro structures are significant in fundamental development of superhydrophobicity. However,preparation of superhydrophobic surfaces with array structures on metal substrates is not effective using existing methods. A new method was presented to fabricate super-hydrophobic post arrays on aluminum(Al) substrates using mask electrochemical machining and fluoridation. Electrochemical etching was first applied on Al plates with pre-prepared photoresist arrays to make the post array structures. Surface modification was subsequently applied to reduce the surface energy, followed by interaction with water to realize superhydrophobicity. Simulation and experimental verification were conducted to investigate how machining parameters affect the array structures. Analysis of the water contact angle was implemented to explore the relationship between wettability and micro structures.The results indicate that superhydrophobic surfaces with controllable post structures can be fabricated through this proposed method, producing surfaces with high water static contact angles.

Synthesis of Biomimetic Superhydrophobic Surface through Electrochemical Deposition on Porous Alumina

The superhydrophobicity of plant leaves is a benefit of the hierarchical structures of their surfaces. These structures have been imitated in the creation of synthetic surfaces. In this paper, a novel process for fabrication of biomimetic hierarchical structures by electrochemical deposition of a metal on porous alumina is described. An aluminum specimen was anodically oxidized to obtain a porous alumina template, which was used as an electrode to fabricate a surface with micro structures through electrochemical deposition of a metal such as nickel and copper after the enlargement of pores. Astonishingly, a hier- archical structure with nanometer pillars and micrometer clusters was synthesized in the pores of the template. The nanometer pillars were determined by the nanometer pores. The lbrmation of micrometer clusters was related to the thin walls of the pores and the crystallization of the metal on a flat surface. From the as-prepared biomimetic surfaces, lotus-leaf-like superhydrophobic surfaces with nickel and copper deposition were achieved.