The effect of silicon-based waterproof agent on the wettability of superhydrophobic concrete and enhanced corrosion resistance

Concrete is widely used in buildings, bridges, ports and other architectures. However, water and corrosive aqueous solution which containing Cl– and SO42– etc. can easily penetrate into the inner space of concrete because of its hydrophilic nature, result in the damage of the concrete architectures. Herein, inspired by “lotus effect”, superhydrophobic concrete (SC) was fabricated by adding waterproof agent into cement mortar for a good water/aqueous solution repellency. The effect of waterproof agent on the wettability and morphology as well as composition of concrete were researched in detail. The results showed that the as-prepared SC exhibited a large water contact angle about 154° and a sliding angle of 4° when the content of waterproof agent is 12.5 g (for a 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm block). Moreover, the as-prepared SC displayed a good anti-penetrating property and low water absorption. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the SC exhibited an excellent anti-corrosion performance even immered in NaCl solution for 14 days, which was two orders of magnitude lower than that of ordinary concrete. We envision that the fabricated SC can be applied in marine engineering for anti-corrosion, anti-icing etc.