Aluminum surface modification with fluoroalkyl methacrylate-based copolymers to attain superhydrophobic properties

We propose a novel approach to create a superhydrophobic coating on an aluminum surface by attaching random copolymers that are based on glycidyl methacrylate and a number of fluoroalkyl methacrylates that contain 3-7 fluorine atoms in their monomer units. To texture the aluminum surface, short-term etching with hydrochloric acid solutions was used. The coatings that are based on glycidyl methacrylate and fluoroalkyl methacrylate copolymers maintain superhydrophobic properties for longer than 40 h under saturated vapor conditions. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.