Fabrication of superhydrophobic surface with enhanced corrosion resistance on H62 brass substrate

Abstract Corrosion protection of metals plays an important role in developing economy. Inspired by the lotus leaf in nature, superhydrophobic surfaces with excellent water-repellent properties has great potential to solve corrosion problem. Herein, superhydrophobic surfaces with improved anticorrosion performance were achieved on H62 brass. The hierarchical micro-nano structures required for superhydrophobic surfaces were achieved by integrating chemical etching and electrodeposition. After modification, fabricated structures displayed extraordinary water repellence with a static contact angle of 159.5±1.7° and a sliding angle of 3.3±0.6°. Moreover, the obtained superhydrophobic surface has very weak adhesion to water droplets and exhibits good self-cleaning properties. Finally, the corrosion resistance of the H62 brass substrate and the durability under various extreme conditions were investigated. The results show that the prepared superhydrophobic brass has excellent corrosion resistance with a corrosion inhibition rate of 89.8 % and superior durability, which will further expand its practical applications.