Superhydrophobic-carbon fibre growth on a zinc surface for corrosion inhibition

A superhydrophobic-carbon fibre (CF) layer with enhanced corrosion inhibition ability was catalytically grown on a Zn surface. Cu, which was produced by a galvanic replacement reaction, acted as a catalyst for CF growth. The contact angle and water repellence properties of the grown materials were measured to determine their superhydrophobicity. The potentiodynamic polarisation technique revealed the corrosion inhibition capabilities of the different materials used. Compared with bare Zn, the superhydrophobic Zn-CF material showed enhanced corrosion inhibition properties. During immersion in NaCl solution, perforations caused by capillary condensation decreased the superhydrophobicity of the materials and limited their corrosion inhibition capabilities. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.