Mechanical, chemical and wetting properties of a superhydrophobic surface based on functionalized ZrO2 on stainless steel
Xinyue Li, Huawei Yin, Yachao Cao, Lei Hu, Xiuzhou Lin, Chuanbo Hu
Abstract
A stable superhydrophobic FAS-ZrO 2 (FZr-ESS) surface was created by chemically etching and modifying a 304 stainless steel substrate. The effect of etching parameters such as time and temperature on the surface wetting properties was studied and optimized. The etched steel surface exhibited a honeycomb-like microstructure that, coupled with the low surface energy of the fluorinated ZrO 2 nanoparticles , produced a FZr-ESS surface with a surface contact angle (CA) of 165.9° and a sliding angle (SA) of 1.7°. The presence of highly stable functionalized ZrO 2 conjugated to the steel matrix contributed to the surface's outstanding mechanical stability , as confirmed by tape peeling and sandpaper abrasion tests. Furthermore, the FZr-ESS surface demonstrated exceptional chemical stability under a variety of pH conditions due to its excellent water repellency . An electrochemical test showed that the resulting surface was highly resistant to corrosion, with the corrosion current density reduced by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to bare stainless steel . The superhydrophobic FZr-ESS surface also displayed excellent long-term stability, wetting diversity, and self-cleaning behavior, making it highly versatile for a range of applications.