Facile preparation of superhydrophobic nano-aluminum/copper(II) oxide composite films with their exposure and heat-release stability

Practical application of nano/micro-composite is frequently hampered by the sophisticated fabrication process, expensive cost and easy loss of capacities due to hydrophilicity etc. This paper presents a facile method to fabricate a novel superhydrophobic nano-aluminum/copper (II) oxide composite via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and followed by surface chemical modification using a low surface energy material-1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane. The stable EPD suspension consists of ethanol and acetyl-acetone. Surface morphology, wettability, and chemical composition were characterized using SEM, EDS, XRD, water contact and sliding angle measurements. The resulting surface, with water contact angle of ∼168°, is stable up to 12 months in ambient atmosphere and shows great exothermic performance. These results provide a new perspective for advancement of superhydrophobic surfaces in real industrial application.