Robust superhydrophobic SiO2/polydimethylsiloxane films coated on mild steel for corrosion protection

One of the biggest obstacles for superhydrophobic films in applications is their poor mechanical resistance. In this research, robust superhydrophobic SiO2 films were constructed on mild steel (MS) for corrosion protection by the combination of rough electrodeposited SiO2 (E-SiO2) films and durable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer with low surface energy. Results show that the PDMS content has a great effect on the microtopography, wettability, roughness, and wear-resistance of the final films. EIS measurements indicate that as-prepared robust superhydrophobic E-SiO2/PDMS films exhibit good corrosion inhibition efficiency of up to 99.99 % for MS substrates in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution.