Robust superhydrophobic SiO2/polydimethylsiloxane films coated on mild steel for corrosion protection

One of the biggest obstacles for superhydrophobic films in applications is their poor mechanical resistance. In this research, robust superhydrophobic SiO 2 films were constructed on mild steel (MS) for corrosion protection by the combination of rough electrodeposited SiO 2 (E-SiO 2 ) films and durable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer with low surface energy. Results show that the PDMS content has a great effect on the microtopography, wettability , roughness, and wear-resistance of the final films. EIS measurements indicate that as-prepared robust superhydrophobic E-SiO 2 /PDMS films exhibit good corrosion inhibition efficiency of up to 99.99 % for MS substrates in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution.