Bio-inspired Superhydrophobic Coating with Low Hydrate Adhesion for Hydrate Mitigation

In this paper, we fabricate a biomimetic superhydrophobic coating on an X90 pipeline steel substrate by electrodeposition of copper, hydrothermal treatment to form a copper oxide layer, and subsequent surface modification with Stearic Acid (SA). The coating exhibits static contact angles of water of 160° ± 3.1° in the air and 170.7° ± 2.5° in cyclopentane, indicating the strongly water-repelling nature of the coating. The morphologies of the cyclopentane hydrate formed on steel substrates with and without the superhydrophobic coating are investigated. The results show that the hydrate particle on the coating exhibits spherical morphology and herein the interfacial contact area and adhesion force to the solid surface can be essentially reduced. The adhesion force reduction may be resulted by the decrease in the contact area between the hydrate and the solid surface.