Manipulating Stable Superhydrophobicity on Aluminum Alloy via Electrodeposition with Enhanced Corrosion Resistance

Anticorrosive coatings for corrosion protection on aluminum alloy remain challenges in high protection efficiency and stability with facile design. Here, a stable superhydrophobic film is successfully prepared on 5052 aluminum alloy (AA5052) by electrodeposition to enhance its corrosion resistance in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The contact angle reaches 157° at the electrodeposition voltage of 10 V. Electrochemical tests confirm that it can serve as a highly effective and stable coating for corrosion protection with an inhibition efficiency ( η ) of 99.1%. The charge transfer resistance of the coated Al alloy increases remarkably from 8.955 kΩ cm 2 to 366.1 kΩ cm 2 . Besides, the superhydrophobic surface shows good stability when it is exposed to air and NaCl solution for a long time. After immersion for 12 days in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, the superhydrophobic coating still exhibits a low corrosion current density of 3.309 × 10 -7 A/cm 2 . The synergy effects of the superhydrophobicity and the Ce 3+ endow the coating with remarkably enhancing corrosion resistance. This facile strategy can provide new ideas for designing highly effective and stable anti-corrosion coatings on aluminum alloy.