Facile spraying prepared superhydrophobic coating with self-cleaning, corrosion resistance, and increased buoyancy

The excellent mechanical properties and low-cost characteristics of carbon steel make it widely used in various facilities and equipment, but it is prone to corrosion, leading to performance degradation. Inspired by the superhydrophobic phenomenon in nature, in this paper, we used synthesized copper stearate (CuSA2) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with low surface energy properties to prepare superhydrophobic CuSA2/PDMS coatings on Q235 carbon steel substrates via a facile spray-coating method. The prepared superhydrophobic coating confirms micro-nano multi-level structures and low surface energy properties through wettability tests, surface morphology, and elemental analysis. Additionally, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results showed that the low-frequency modulus and charge transfer resistance of the coated substrate increased by three orders of magnitude compared to the bare Q235 carbon steel. The corrosion inhibition efficiency of the fabricated coating was 99.91 %, demonstrating significantly enhanced corrosion protection capabilities. Furthermore, due to the unique interface non-wetting and liquid-repellent properties of the surface, the coating also exhibited excellent self-cleaning and buoyancy-increasing characteristics, expanding the application areas of such materials significantly.