Micropatterned Amorphous Zr-Based Alloys Coated with Silica Nanoparticles as Superhydrophobic Surfaces against Abrasion

Abstract

Superhydrophobic metallic surfaces with mechanical stability as well as self-cleaning and anticorrosion functions are highly desirable because of their promising applications in various aspects. Large apparent water contact angles (≥150°) on metal surfaces are usually realized by high surface roughness and low surface energy. However, rough nanoscale features and low-energy coatings are prone to wear, causing degradation of the local wetting property during service. Herein, we develop a low-cost and scalable fabrication methodology to prepare composite superhydrophobic surfaces (water contact angle ∼154.7± 2.3°and sliding angle ∼1.2 ± 0.2°) by integrating a micropatterned amorphous alloy frame with functionalized nanoparticles. Amorphous interconnected microwalls provide augmented resistance against abrasion, whereas spray-coated nanomaterials residing within the frame impart water repellency. Metallic surfaces can withstand abrasion against sandpaper for 40 m under a local pressure of 120 kPa, before losing their perfect superhydrophobic performances. The composite surfaces also maintain its water repellency after mechanical bending, knife scratching, water impact jetting, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and acid immersion. We envisage that the design strategies here provide a practical route to manufacture water-repellent surfaces with metallic glass in harsh nautical applications.

Fabrication of Robust, Anti-reflective, Transparent Superhydrophobic Coatings with a Micropatterned Multilayer Structure

“…The rationales for structural optimization are as follows: Although a small f may lead to facilitated accommodation of hydrophobic nanoparticles and better water repellency, an extremely small f could weaken the stability of the micropatterns. An f of 15% is considered to be a good balance between superhydrophobicity and mechanical stability . Acrylate-based resist (DW-3360-6) was utilized here due to its low cost, fast curing characteristic at room temperature, and decent elastic modulus (e.g., E r = 5.3 GPa); however, it may also be replaced with other UV-curable resists or thermal plastic polymers.…”

“…An f of 15% is considered to be a good balance between superhydrophobicity and mechanical stability. 29 Acrylate-based resist (DW-3360-6) was utilized here due to its low cost, fast curing characteristic at room temperature, and decent elastic modulus (e.g., E r = 5.3 GPa); however, it may also be replaced with other UV-curable resists or thermal plastic polymers. The intrinsic hydrophilic silica nanoparticles were functionalized through silane treatment to impart hydrophobicity, as confirmed by XPS spectra (Figure S3).…”

“…It is worth noting that inadequate nanoparticle coverage on the micropatterned resist may be observed when using a high spincoating speed (e.g., 1500 rpm), while such unwanted issue can be resolved via pre-coating an epoxy-nanoparticle bonding layer (Figure S4). 29 The adhesion between the coating and the substrate of the superhydrophobic surface was assessed based on the ASTM-D3359 standard (Figure S5a). The multilayer surface was scratched into grids with a cross-cutter followed by instantaneous tape peeling.…”

Superhydrophobic Poplar Scrimber Via In Situ Synthesis of Cu7Cl4(OH)10·H2O Heterostructure Inspired by Pine Cone with Superultraviolet Resistance

“…All the aforementioned problems are mostly related to water. Thus, superhydrophobic modification of poplar scrimber is necessary, which could endow it with the functions of self-cleaning, , UV resistance, anti-icing, and mold resistance as well as potentially improved dimensional stability.…”

Heat Stability and Icing Delay on Superhydrophobic Coatings in Facile One Step

“…Silica sols were produced by ethyl orthosilicate catalyzed by ammonia and then modified by perfluorodecyltrimethoxysilane to produce superhydrophobic coatings [ 36 ]. Silica sols are produced via ethyl orthosilicate catalyzed by hydrochloric acid [ 37 ]. The silica sols were catalyzed by hydrochloric acid and ammonium hydroxide and subsequently modified with expensive fluorosilanes [ 38 ].…”