A cost-effective method for robust and anti-corrosive superhydrophobic coatings

In this work, we developed a simple method to fabricate robust and anti-corrosive superhydrophobic coatings. The multi-scale nano/microstructures were induced by styrene–butadiene–styrene and two kinds of nanoparticles of SiO2 and TiO2. The unique hierarchical structures contribute to the superhydrophobic coatings with a remarkable water contact angle of 154.4° and contact angle hysteresis of 2.1°. In particular, the superhydrophobic coatings exhibited excellent thermal stability, mechanical stability and self-cleaning property. The synergistic effect of SiO2 nanoparticles and TiO2 nanoparticles could improve corrosion resistance of the superhydrophobic coatings. The superhydrophobic coatings retained their original superhydrophobicity when directly soaked in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for 3 days. The electrochemical experiments show that the superhydrophobic coatings can significantly improve the corrosion resistance of aluminum plate. Furthermore, the superhydrophobic coatings were applied to oil/water separation. The superhydrophobic coatings give a promising prospect for practical applications in a broad range of fields based on their large-scale and low-cost fabrication method.