A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Mechanistic insights into the superhydrophobic behavior of stearic acid-functionalized microscale re-entrant architectures




AuthorsShen, Kai; Xiong, Zhaoting; Li, Yi; Wu, Xia; Bai, Jingyuan; Liu, Zhihui; Giyasov, Shukhrat; Nuriddinov, Khusniddin Z.; Lv, Shaoyuan; Shi, Wenqing; Cui, Xiaoli; Xiong, Chunmei; Lin, Liangjun; Papageorgiou, Anastassios; Tie, Di

PublisherElsevier BV

Publication year2025

Journal: Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects

Article number138163

Volume727

ISSN0927-7757

eISSN1873-4359

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138163

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingNo Open Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.138163


Abstract

Micro-concave structure array has attracted more and more attention because it can improve water pressure resistance and reduce liquid-solid contact area. However, the synergistic mechanism and comprehensive application performance between this microstructure array and chemical modification are still unclear. In this paper, laser ablation and electrochemical deposition techniques were used to construct a multi-level dimple structure, and a superhydrophobic surface with a water contact angle (WCA) of 158.3° ± 1.0° and a roll-off angle (ROA) of 5.1° ± 0.6° was prepared by stearic acid (SA) modification. The mechanism study shows that the concave structure characterized by high surface roughness can enhance the stability of Cassie state, and the self-assembled copper stearate (CuSA2) layer formed on SA surface can effectively inhibit the penetration of droplets by reducing the surface energy, which leads to the synergistic enhancement of surface hydrophobicity. The coating showed excellent mechanical stability: after 400 cm wear, its WCA remained at 151.9° ± 2.0° and its ROA was 9.4° ± 0.7°. At the same time, the coating also has good corrosion resistance, and the protection efficiency calculated based on charge transfer resistance (Rct) and corrosion current density (icorr) reaches 98.4 % and 98.01 % respectively, and it can still maintain stability after being stored in humid air for 60 days and immersed in extreme acid-base salt solution for 720 min. This study provides a reliable method for preparing durable metal-based superhydrophobic coatings, and deepens the understanding of hydrophobic synergistic enhancement mechanism.


Funding information in the publication
This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (52171235 and 5241102867), Dalian Science and Technology Talent Program (2023RJ008), Yangjiang Talent Revitalization Program (RCZX2023004), and Guangdong Ocean University (YJR24003).


Last updated on 2025-07-10 at 14:59