One step fabrication of a superhydrophobic nanocomposite
Superhydrophobic coatings having a self-cleaning ability and anticorrosion performance are desired in many industrial contexts; however, high costs and complex fabrication methods usually limit their application.
In a new study, thin anticorrosive superhydrophobic coatings were prepared by a scalable, simple, and inexpensive spraying method to protect AA2024-T3 surfaces. The two-component coatings were designed using fluoropolyurethane and varying concentrations of surface modified silica nanoparticles.
Increased contact angles
Increased silica nanoparticle concentrations up to 10 wt% led to increased contact angles from 92° to 167°. The lowest contact angle hysteresis was obtained for the coating containing 4 wt% nanoparticles. FE-SEM images showed that high concentrations of nanoparticles (more than 4 wt%) led to cracks in the coating surface. The best performance of a coating was observed when the coating contained 4 wt% nanosilica particles, resulting in a 164° water contact angle, almost 60 days of surface protection, an impedance value of 2.2 × 109 Ω·cm2, 0.9% water uptake, and marked adhesion strength. The impedance value of the coating with 4 wt% nanosilica particles was about 25× that of the blank sample.
The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 169, August 2022.
