Multifunctional titanium alloy moth-eye nanostructures for anti-corrosion and anti-reflection

Superhydrophobicity facilitates improved corrosion resistance and self-cleaning properties of material surfaces. Titanium alloys with excellent strength, hardness and robustness are extensively employed to prepare superhydrophobic structures. Herein, titanium alloy surfaces featuring bionic moth-eye micro- and nanocomposite structures were constructed by composite method of laser processing, hydrothermal treatment and further chemical modification phase. The average reflectance decreases up to 48.7 % in the wavelength range of 450–1000 nm for bionic moth-eye micro- and nanocomposite structured titanium alloy surface compared to the untreated titanium alloy. Corrosion performance increased by an order of magnitude and corrosion protection efficiency up to 76.5 % is achievable resulting from the reduced solid-liquid contact area created from the air cavities on the superhydrophobic surface. It provides an effective approach for preparing multifunctional superhydrophobic surfaces with micro- and nanocomposite structures on titanium alloy substrates.