Engineered superhydrophobic coating for anti-corrosion applications is a subject of great significance at present. However, the use of superhydrophobic coatings for anti-corrosion applications is hindered by the mechanical durability in many cases. There is a need for an understanding not only of how to fabricate such surfaces, but also of the corrosion resistance and mechanical durability of those coatings. This review discusses recent developments in the mechanical durability of superhydrophobic coatings primarily used for anti-corrosion. First, superhydrophobicity is introduced with an emphasis on different wetting models. After that, this review classifies the nanofabrication methods based on the material and methods of surface functionalization. Furthermore, the testing procedures used for the measurement of corrosion and mechanical durability are presented. Finally, the mechanical durability and anti-corrosion performance of the developed superhydrophobic coatings are discussed.

Artificial superhydrophobic copper surfaces play an important role in modern applications such as self-cleaning and dropwise condensation; however, corrosion resistance and durability often present as major concerns in such applications. In this study, the anti-corrosion properties and mechanical durability of superhydrophobic copper surface have been investigated. The superhydrophobic copper surfaces were achieved with wet chemical etching and an immersion method to reduce the complexity of the fabrication process. The surface structures and materials were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of the superhydrophobic copper surface were characterized after immersing surfaces in a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution. The chemical stability of the superhydrophobic copper surface in the NaCl solution for a short period of time was also evaluated. An abrasion test and an ultrasound oscillation were conducted to confirm that the copper surface contained durable superhydrophobic properties. In addition, an atomic force microscope was employed to study the surface mechanical property in the corrosion conditions. The present study shows that the resulting superhydrophobic copper surface exhibit enhanced corrosion resistance and durability.

A hybrid surface consisting of an array of hydrophobic and hydrophilic sites was designed and fabricated in an effort to better understand the effects of microscale surface features and chemistry on wettability. A model based on energy minimization was developed to design and predict the wettability of hybrid surfaces. Measured advancing, receding, and equilibrium contact angles fit the proposed model well. Experiments show that a higher degree of hydrophobicity results in higher contact angles and that contact angle hysteresis increases with decreasing micropillar spacing (b/a). Moreover, measured roll-off angle as an indicator of droplet shedding, decreases with b/a.