Facile fluorine-free one step fabrication of superhydrophobic aluminum surface towards self-cleaning and marine anticorrosion

Service performance and safety of aluminum materials are restricted by the proneness to marine corrosion. The facile and low cost fabrication of fluorine-free superhydrophobic aluminum surfaces for anticorrosion is still a challenging issue. Herein, we report a handy and versatile fabrication of nonfluorinated Allium giganteum-like superhydrophobic aluminum surfaces via one step electrodeposition approach. The surface topographies, wettability and chemical compositions were detailed characterized and discussed. In addition, we investigated the self-cleaning and low surface adhesion ability of the as-fabricated electrodeposited superhydrophobic surface. The electrochemical impedance spectra was performed to reveal the corrosion resistance and inhibition efficiency of the as-prepared superhydrophobic surface. The air-exposure and 3.5 wt% NaCl immersion tests suggest a good lasting quality of the surface. We believe the facile fabrication of fluorine-free superhydrophobic surface can meliorate many shortcomings of achieving superhydrophobicity and broaden the potential applications of aluminum-based materials towards marine-related fields.