Surface lurking and interfacial ion release strategy for fabricating a superhydrophobic coating with scaling inhibition

The design and manufacture of anti-scaling surface is a prospective way to prevent scaling in oil field. In this work, a novel superhydrophobic Cu2+-loaded and DTPMPA-modified anodized copper oxide (S–Cu2+/D-ACO) coating was fabricated by modification of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane. The valid storing of scale inhibitors at the coating surface and the interfacial release of Cu2+ ions contribute to enhancing the anti-scaling of the S–Cu2+/D-ACO coating. The water contact angle of the S–Cu2+/D-ACO coating is 163.03° and exhibits superhydrophobicity, which makes it difficult for CaCO3 to deposit at the surface of the coating. DTPMPA will steadily lurk into the inner space, and Cu2+ will be loaded at the interface in the form of the DTPMPA:Cu2+ chelate. During the deposition of CaCO3, the dynamic release of DTPMPA can be realized by transferring DTPMPA:Cu2+ to DTPMPA:Ca2+. Interestingly, the released Cu2+ hinders the active growth of CaCO3. After 48 h of scaling, the mass of CaCO3 scale at the S–Cu2+/D-ACO coating surface is only 44.1% that of the anodized copper oxide coating. The excellent anti-scaling performance of the S–Cu2+/D-ACO coating is determined by the synergistic effect of the DTPMPA lurking and dynamic release, as well as the Cu2+ inhibition at the interface of superhydrophobic coating and against CaCO3 deposition. This research provides a new exploration for designing and fabricating anti-scaling superhydrophobic surface for oil field development.