Mechanical durability and corrosion resistance of epoxy based superhydrophobic coating with double-layer embedded structure

Superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit excellent corrosion resistance which is attributed to their distinct wettability. However, in complex marine environments (high salinity and humidity), the adhesion force between superhydrophobic coatings and substrates tend to decline. In this work, we developed a double-layer inlaid epoxy-based superhydrophobic coating. Moreover, fluorinated carbon nanomaterials (F-CNT) were employed to regulate the amount of micro-nano papillae structures on the coating surface. It can generate stable “air cushion” barrier effect between solid and liquid interface of superhydrophobic coating which significantly restricted the penetration of corrosive media. Meanwhile, the epoxy-based polymer can enhance the adhesion between the coating and the substrate, which can improve the mechanical durability of the coating. The bonding strength between the coating and the substrate can reach 30 MPa. Compared with using silane coupling agent as the bonding layer and non-bonding layer, the bonding strength had increased by 33.3 % and 66.6 % respectively. Moreover, the coating can maintain hydrophobicity after 500 wear tests and 350 tape peeling tests.