Attapulgite-based superhydrophobic coating on aluminum alloy substrate with self-cleaning, anti-corrosion and robustness

In this paper, we fabricated a mechanically stable, self-cleaning, and corrosion-resistant superhydrophobic coating on 5083 aluminum alloy substrates based on attapulgite (ATP) clay, organosilane, and waterborne epoxy resin through air spraying technique. The surface wettability variations, micro-nano scale structures, and chemical compositions of the coating were evaluated using contact angle meter, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the charge transfer resistance ( R ct ) of the spray-coated superhydrophobic surface was increased by five orders of magnitude with a corrosion inhibition efficiency of 99.99 %, indicating a significant anti-corrosion capacity. Moreover, the prepared superhydrophobic coating demonstrated enhanced coating/substrate bonding force and abrasion resistance, as they could withstand a sandpaper abrasion distance of 2800 cm, confirming the durability and robustness of the coating.