Superhydrophobic and corrosion resistant properties of electrodeposited Ni-TiO2/TMPSi nanocomposite coating

A superhydrophobic Ni-TiO2/TMPSi nanocomposite coating was fabricated on a copper substrate by a two-step process, including simultaneous electrodeposition of Ni-TiO2, and surface chemical modification of the layer employing trimethoxy(propyl)silane. Surface characterizations was studied by FESEM, FTIR-ATR, AFM analyses. Water-repellency of the substrate significantly increased by fabrication of Ni-TiO2/TMPSi coating on the copper substrate and examined by water static contact angle (WCA = 151.6 degrees) and sliding angle (SA = 6.2 degrees) tests. Corrosion resistance and protective behavior of the coating was evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization and EIS analyses. The results show that the coating modification improved it's resistance to corrosion in the NaCl solution without turbulence at ambient temperature.