Superhydrophobic Fe-based amorphous coating fabricated by detonation spraying with excellent anti-corrosion and self-cleaning properties

Amorphous alloys without crystalline defects (dislocation, crystal boundary) are ideal hydrophobic coating materials due to their low surface energy. This work used a synergistic method of detonation spraying and surface modification to obtain the superhydrophobic Fe-based amorphous coatings with high hardness and dense structure on the Q 235 substrate. The results showed that the water contact angles (WCA) of the superhydrophobic coating was 160 degrees +/- 3.6 degrees, and water droplets could bounce off the superhydrophobic coating surface, illustrating the excellent self-cleaning performance of coating. Notably, the corrosion current density (i(corr)) of the superhydrophobic coating further decreased by 2 orders of magnitude down to 8.008 x 10(-8) A.cm(-2) compared to the as-deposited coating with 5.473 x 10(-6) A.cm(-2); the corrosion potential (E-corr) of the superhydrophobic coating shifted by 34 mV to the positive side compared with that of the as-deposited coating (- 310 mV). Likewise, the impedance modulus vertical bar Z vertical bar values of the superhydrophobic coating increased by nearly 2 orders of magnitude up to 1x10(5.6) compared to the as-deposited coating with 1x10(3.8). Even through lasting immersion in NaCl for 10 days, vertical bar Z vertical bar values of the superhydrophobic coating were still much higher than those of the as-deposited coating. The superhydrophobic Fe-based amorphous coatings could respond to their applications under extreme conditions due to their excellent hydrophobicity and self-cleaning properties, illustrating their promising future in aerospace, automotive, and machinery industries.

Automated summary

This study developed superhydrophobic Fe-based amorphous coatings with high hardness and dense structure using a synergistic method of detonation spraying and surface modification. The coatings demonstrated excellent self-cleaning performance and corrosion resistance, making them suitable for aerospace, automotive, and machinery industries under extreme conditions.