A route for large-scale preparation of multifunctional superhydrophobic coating with electrochemically-modified kaolin for efficient corrosion protection of magnesium alloys

Abstract Superhydrophobic coating has been widely studied for its great applicational potential, such as for corrosion protection of magnesium alloys while it has been restrained by expensive materials, sophisticated preparation process and infirm rough structures. In this study, the electrochemical method was adopted by using a two-electrode system for rapid hydrophobic modification to obtain superhydrophobic kaolin. By mixing the modified superhydrophobic kaolin with commercial epoxy resin and polydimethylsiloxane glue, a paint can be formed and easily used on various substrates for preparation of superhydrophobic coating via spraying method. The influence factors on wettability of the modified kaolin and the mixing ratio of each component of the coating were explored. Also, the wettability, durability and anticorrosion of the prepared coating were evaluated comprehensively. The coating was able to maintain superhydrophobic after immersed in HCl solution at pH 1, the NaOH solution at pH 14, and 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for 16, 21, 30 days, respectively. In addition, the coating exhibited 4A grade adhesion, high hydrophobicity after abraded for 200 cycles on a 600-mesh sandpaper with 100 g weight, and 99.86% anticorrosion efficiency after soaked in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for 20 days, demonstrating a good robustness and anti-corrosion property. Furthermore, the coating showed good transparency, flexibility and was easy to make in a large scale by the spraying method, which is of great significance to promote the practical application of superhydrophobic coatings and the anticorrosion Mg alloys.