Epoxy-based superhydrophobic coating with corrosion resistance, delayed icing, self-cleaning, and substrate applicability

In this study, we developed an epoxy-based superhydrophobic composite coating on Q235 carbon steel substrates using a facile spray-coating technology. The composite coating was fabricated by incorporating epoxy resin and silane-modified Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles as fillers. The resulting coating exhibited superhydrophobic properties, with a water contact angle (CA) of 154.8 ± 0.6° and a sliding angle (SA) of 2.7 ± 0.6°. Anti-corrosion evaluations demonstrated that the superhydrophobic coating provides superior corrosion protection for Q235 carbon steel, as evidenced by a 460 mV positive shift in corrosion potential (E corr ), a four-order-of-magnitude reduction in corrosion current density (I corr ), a four-order-of-magnitude increase in charge transfer resistance (R ct ), and a five-order-of-magnitude enhancement in low-frequency modulus (|Z| 0.01Hz ). Additionally, the coating exhibited remarkable delayed-icing effects, self-cleaning capabilities, and broad substrate applicability, making it a promising candidate for applications in anti-corrosion and anti-icing industries.