Preparation and droplet impact dynamics of superhydrophobic nano-aluminum films on metal substrates

A simple electrophoretic deposition method followed by stearic acid modification was developed to prepare superhydrophobic multiscale nano-aluminum films on a series of metal substrates such as nickel, copper, titanium and stainless steel. The surface morphology and chemical compositions were characterized by a field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope, Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometer and white light interferometer. The resultant nano-aluminum films exhibited excellent superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 168.5° and a water sliding angle of 2°. Furthermore, the obtained nano-Al films showed the desirable stability and durability after the related testing. In addition, the impact dynamic behaviors of water droplet on the superhydrophobic nano-Al films were described via the corresponding parameters, such as Weber number (We), spreading factor (β), contact time (tc), etc. Based on these characteristics, the superhydrophobic nano-Al films presented excellent water-repellent property. The EPD process is an efficient method to prepare superhydrophobic nano-Al films on common engineering metal materials, which can be applied to various industrial or manufacturing fields, including oil–water separation, anti-icing, self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, microelectronic fabrication and so forth.