Study on a Superhydrophobic Stainless Steel (SUS 304) Surface to Enhance Corrosion Resistance

Stainless steel is a metal with excellent workability, economy, and corrosion resistance, so it is used in various industrial applications including the marine, machinery, electronic parts, piping, power generation, and nuclear power fields. However, in contaminated environments such as marine and gas pipelines, stainless steel has problems, including surface aging and corrosion. Several surface treatment methods have been proposed to address those problems. This study was conducted to observe the water repellency and corrosion resistance of a superhydrophobic phosphorylated film on the surface of stainless steel. The anodization was carried out using a step-by-step process under voltage in an ethylene glycol electrolyte, at 30, 50, and 70 V for 3 hours, respectively. The distance between the anode electrode and cathode electrode was maintained at 5 cm. A water-repellent surface was achieved using a FDTS (1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane) solution, a material with low energy, on the surface of the fabricated specimen. A Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) was used to analyze the surface shape of the structure, and water repellency was analyzed using an angle meter. The corrosion behaviors of the electrochemical oxide film were investigated through polarization experiments.