Fabrication of mechanically robust superhydrophobic steel surface with corrosion resistance property

Abstract

In this research, a simple and cheap method was presented to make steel superhydrophobic. A mixture of antiformin solution and hydrogen peroxide was utilized to grow a porous structure on steel foil; the antiformin solution is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the use of strong acids. More interestingly, lotus-leaf-like hierarchical micro-nanostructures were formed after ultrasonic treatment. The superhydrophobic surface can be further prepared by surface modification, which could withstand sandpaper abrasion for 2.24 m under a pressure of 24.50 kPa without losing superhydrophobicity. Moreover, the as-prepared superhydrophobic surface exhibits excellent self-cleaning and anti-corrosion properties.