Superhydrophobic surfaces are widely found in nature, inspiring the development of excellent antiwater surfaces with barrier coatings isolating the underlying materials from the external environment. Here, the naturally occurring superhydrophobicity of lotus seedpod surfaces is reported. Protective coatings that mimic the lotus seedpod are fabricated on AZ91D Mg alloy surfaces with the synergistic effect of robust superhydrophobicity and durable corrosion resistance. The predesigned titanium dioxide films are coated on AZ91D by an in situ hydrothermal synthesis technique. Through sonication assisted electroless plating combined with a self‐assembling method, the densely packed Cu‐thiolate layers are uniformly plated with robust adhesion on the Mg alloy substrate, which function as a superhydrophobic barrier that can hold back the transport of water and corrosive ions contained such as Cl−. Notably, the two extreme wetting behaviors (superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity) as well as corrosion resistance and improved corrosion resistance can be easily controlled by removal of the hydrophobic materials (n‐dodecanethiol) at elevated temperature (350 °C) and modifying them at room temperature for 18 cycles, indicative of exceptional adhesion between the superhydrophobic coating and the underlying AZ91D Mg alloy.

The repeatable wettability of the facile-to-fabricate porous copper surface shows superhydrophobicity in air and improved superhydrophobicity under oil. The resultant 3D copper foam can separate and capture oils from water with high separation efficiency, fast capture kinetics, fine mechanical resistance to water impact, and good recyclability.

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Inspired by the lotus seedpod, Mingjie Liu, Lei Jiang, and co‐workers report in article number 1605446 how to form exceptionally superhydrophobic and corrosion‐resistant surfaces on AZ91D Mg alloys by using self‐assembled monolayers. The surfaces exhibit a thermally controlled wetting transition between superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic states, and tunable corrosion resistance. This strategy will lead to improved corrosion‐resistant Mg alloys and thermally responsive “surface engineering”.

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