Fabrication of a biomimetic hierarchical superhydrophobic Cu-Ni coating with self-cleaning and anti-corrosion properties

Many attentions have been attracted to prepare superhydrophobic coatings on the metal surfaces for their prominent properties, especially the self-cleaning and anti-corrosion properties. In this work, a facile electrodeposition method was applied to fabricate hierarchical Cu-Ni coating on the 316 L stainless steel, and the followed myristic acid modification was used to lower the surface energy. The water droplet would remain spherical on this coating, and measured water contact angle and sliding angle were 161.27 degrees and 7.8 degrees, respectively. The contaminants on the coating surface could be easily carried away by the closed water droplets. In addition, the coating could effectively hinder the deposition of salt solution. Besides, the coating could endure long-term acid solution immersion and natural placement. Moreover, it was verified that this superhydrophobic Cu-Ni coating formed a robust barrier to block the transmission of chlorine ions, thus corrosion damage to steel surface could be effectively relieved. This superhydrophobic Cu-Ni coating provides a novel strategy and promising applications for preventing various metal surfaces from being contaminated and corroded.