Preparation of self-assembled superhydrophobic coating on MgO–CaO clinker aggregates

To mitigate the inherent hydration susceptibility of magnesia-calcia refractories and overcome the restrictions of hydration reactions on their popularization and practical application, a facile impregnation method was adopted to fabricate a self-assembled superhydrophobic coating on the surface of MgO–CaO clinker aggregates. The effects of palmitic acid (PA), titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), and ethanol (EtOH) content, and impregnation duration on the hydrophobic performance of the superhydrophobic modified solution (SMS) were systematically investigated. The modified MgO–CaO clinker aggregates exhibit excellent superhydrophobicity, with a maximum water contact angle of 158.9° and a low hydration rate of 0.05%. This hydration rate is 64.29% lower than that of the untreated raw aggregates (0.14%). Furthermore, the formation and hydrophobic mechanism of the self-assembled superhydrophobic coating were clarified in depth. The feasible impregnation strategy enables efficient construction of a self-assembled superhydrophobic coating. It provides a promising, scalable, and universal approach for the large-scale preparation of high-performance superhydrophobic and anti-hydration MgO–CaO refractories.