Fabrication of superhydrophobic concrete with stable mechanical properties and self-cleaning properties

Superhydrophobic concrete has the ability to remove surface stains and resist water erosion. In this paper, a fabrication medium of self-cleaning concrete with green environmental protection and stable mechanical properties is proposed. Hierarchical micro-nano composite structure was obtained by directly copying the micro-nano composite structure from the modified copper mesh to the surface of the newly poured concrete and then using octadecylamine-grafted humic acid to obtain low surface energy. Moreover, the microstructure and chemical composition of the fabricated concrete were characterized. The superhydrophobicity, wetting durability, and self-cleaning performance of the fabricated concrete were studied. Results indicated that the water contact angle of the prepared S-concrete reaches 158° and the water sliding angle were as low as 5°. In addition, due to the successful replication of the micro-nano composite structure, the precast concrete has good mechanical stability and self-cleaning performance compared with ordinary concrete.