Polystyrene-grafted Al surface with excellent superhydrophobicity and corrosion resistance

A superhydrophobic Al surface was successfully fabricated by a facile and environmentally friendly method as the boiling water treatment and 3-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane (GPS) as well as carboxyl-terminated polystyrene (PS-COOH) modification. The fabrication procedure, morphology, composition, and corrosion resistance of the superhydrophobic Al surface were investigated. Results show that the treatment in the boiling water endows the Al surface with the porous and roughened structure, while the modification with GPS as well as PS-COOH grafts the long PS chains onto the micro-scale and nano-scale hierarchical structure. Consequently, a superhydrophobic Al surface with a contact angle of 153.6 degrees and a rolling angle of 3 degrees is obtained. Additionally, a vast majority of surface area is covered by the air in the solid-liquid contact area for the superhydrophobic Al surface, and which can prevent the corrosive ions entering into the Al surface. As a result, the corrosion resistance is improved greatly. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.