Superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coating: Advancing research from laboratory to real marine corrosion environment

Superhydrophobic materials have been well-established in laboratory evaluations to exhibit improved anticorrosion properties, achieving consensus in this research field. However, reports on the transition of superhydrophobic anti-corrosion materials from laboratory assessments to real service environments are scarce. In this study, we prepared superhydrophobic silane-modified montmorillonite/epoxy (SM-MMT/EP) coatings and conducted laboratory evaluations of their wettability, surface morphologies, chemical compositions, selfcleaning, anti-icing, and anti-corrosion properties. The results confirmed that the superhydrophobic SM-MMT/ EP coating can exhibit excellent overall performance in laboratory tests. Then we conducted the first study on the service behavior and adaptability of the prepared superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coating in four corrosion zones of real marine environment. The results show that the anti-corrosion capability of superhydrophobic coating in marine atmospheric zone was outstanding. Conversely, in marine splash zone, tidal zone, and fully submerged zone, surface wetting and corrosion failure occurred, severely hindering the maintenance of longterm anti-corrosion efficacy. Through this research, we aim to urge researchers in this field to pay more attention to the performance evaluation and adaptability of superhydrophobic materials in practical service environments, and to propose targeted enhancement strategies for long-lasting protection. This effort is crucial for advancing the research of superhydrophobic functional materials from laboratory to real-world applications.