Simple Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Nickel Surface on Steel Substrate via Electrodeposition

Preparation of artificial superhydrophobic surfaces are in urgent demand in a specific domain. In the study, we obtained superhydrophobic nickel surface on steel substrates via electrodeposition nickel process and stearic acid modification, which are facile, time-saving and eco-friendly. The surface wettability, morphologies and chemical composition were analyzed by contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The results indicated that the -CH2- and -CH3 groups of low surface energy were introduced into rough surface by modification with stearic acid, the rough surface was modified from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic. When electrodeposition current density was 60 A/dm(2), the as-prepared nickel surface showed excellent superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of 154.4 degrees and a sliding angle of about 2.0 degrees, and possessed micro-nano rough structures. Besides, the superhydrophobic nickel surface also had a good anti-corrosion performance. It is believed that the presented approach should have a prosperous future in industrial applications for the superhydrophobic surface fabrication on steel