Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces for corrosion protection: A review

Steel, aluminium and magnesium are important engineering materials owing to their excellent mechanical properties. However, their applications are limited due to inadequate corrosion resistance. Various coatings and improvement technologies are used to enhance the corrosion resistance in industry and consumer products. Fabrication of hydrophobic surfaces is a very interesting approach to anticorrosion in that it is derived from the superhydrophobicity found in nature. This paper is a general review of the methods to construct a superhydrophobic surface, i.e. a thin coating layer, on various metallic materials surfaces to enhance their anticorrosion property, providing an introduction of the superhydrophobicity, including theory, properties and fabricating methods. Different methods including spray technique, laser ablation, electrochemical deposition, micro-arc oxidation and etching routes were discussed.