Study of corrosion property and mechanical strength of eco-friendly fabricated superhydrophobic concrete

The complex corrosive environment in the ocean and the hydrophilicity of concrete often leads to corrosion of the rebars in concrete. Endowing concrete with superhydrophobicity is an effective measure to prevent the internal rebars from being corroded. Here, an eco-friendly green method was proposed for fabricating superhydrophobic concrete by adding non-toxic lauric acid into concrete to reduce surface energy and covering stainless steel mesh to obtain rough hierarchical structures. The superhydrophobic concrete exhibited WCA of 153° and WSA of less than 10°. The corrosion property of fabricated concrete immersed into simulated seawater for different time was studied. The results show that the superhydrophobic concrete possesses better corrosion resistance to internal rebars than ordinary concrete. The compressive and flexural strengths of samples with different curing ages were studied. This eco-friendly green method for fabricating superhydrophobic concrete with corrosion resistance may have good application prospects in coastal engineering.