Preparation of self-healing Ni-Al layered double hydroxide superhydrophobic coating with nanowall arrays on aluminum alloy

The existence of self-healing performance can effectively improve the service life of superhydrophobic coating. Due to its unique chemical composition and microstructure, layered double hydroxide (LDH) material is an ideal material for preparing self-healing superhydrophobic coatings. In this research, a Ni-Al LDH superhydrophobic coating with self-healing performance was prepared on aluminum alloy 6061 by hydrothermal reaction and low energy modification. The effects of hydrothermal parameters on the microstructure and wettability of the coating were investigated. The prepared coating with nanowall arrays showed excellent superhydrophobicity with contact angle of 162.1 ± 0.4° and rolling angle of 1.9 ± 0.3°. The superhydrophobic coating exhibited excellent low adhesion and self-cleaning properties, and could effectively improve the corrosion resistance of aluminum alloy. In addition, the coating showed good stability in different harsh environments, and could self-heal quickly under the thermal stimulation after losing superhydrophobicity.