Non-wetting Characteristics and Durability Properties of Long Carbon Chain Saturated Fatty Acid Cerium Superhydrophobic Coatings

ZHOU Enqi; SHEN Yizhou; JIANG Jiawei; TAO Jie

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.18.013

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Surface Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (18) : 130-141. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.18.013

Non-wetting Characteristics and Durability Properties of Long Carbon Chain Saturated Fatty Acid Cerium Superhydrophobic Coatings

ZHOU Enqi, SHEN Yizhou^*, JIANG Jiawei, TAO Jie^*

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Abstract

The work aims to prepare three kinds of fatty acid cerium superhydrophobic coatings (SHPS) by electrochemical deposition, and study their non-wetting properties, microstructure, chemical composition and durability. Three superhydrophobic coatings with different micro/nano structures were prepared by one-step electrodeposition with 0.001 6 mol/L cerium nitrate hexahydrate and 0.005 6 mol/L stearic acid (or 0.006 4 mol/L arachidic acid and 0.003 2 mol/L docosanoic acid) as the electrolyte and anhydrous alcohol as the solvent. The optimal electrodeposition parameters were obtained by orthogonal test, and the coatings were named C-18, C-20 and C-22, respectively, according to the different fatty acid carbon chain lengths. The surface morphology and chemical composition of fatty acid cerium superhydrophobic coatings were characterized and analyzed by SEM, AFM, FTIR and XPS, and the static/dynamic non-wettability of different SHPS was studied by contact angle measuring instrument and high-speed camera. Besides, the self-cleaning, wear resistance and chemical stability of the superhydrophobic coatings were estimated by tape stripping, sandpaper wear, solution corrosion and UV aging tests. The results showed that the surface structure and chemical composition of the three kinds of SHPS were different, but they all formed micro/nano surface morphologies and exhibited good superhydrophobic, wear resistance and chemical stability. Chemical composition study displayed that the main components of the three coatings were all long chain fatty acid cerium. In the electrodeposition process, CH₃(CH₂)_nCOO^-(n=16, 18, 20) in the electrolyte reacted with Ce³⁺ to produce fatty acid cerium, which was finally deposited on the cathode surface, forming surface morphologies with different micro/nano structures. Among the 3 SHPS, the surface of stearate cerium SHPS (C-18) was interleaved and agglomerated by nanostrips, forming micron-scale cauliflower clusters and arachidate cerium SHPS (C-20) also formed a cauliflower-like hierarchical micro-nano structure, while the surface of behenate cerium SHPS (C-22) only deposited a first-order nanosheet structure. The non-wettability test showed that the water contact angle (WCA) of C-18 was (166.11±0.55)°. The C-20 with a higher roughness (Ra= 369 nm, R_q=466 nm) and a greater proportion of trapped air (96.1%) had a bigger WCA of (167.24±0.62)°. The WCA of C-22 was reduced to (164.62±0.65)° due to the reduction of surface roughness. In addition, the three coatings exhibited excellent dynamic non-wettability in the droplet bounce test, and they also performed well in the self-cleaning test, effectively removing powder stains. In particular, cerium arachidate (C-20), whose nanostrip structure on the surface was further interwoven and agglomerated into cauliflower-like microstructure, formed a stable Cassie-Baxter wettability state, the smallest solid-liquid contact area and the most air capture, showing the best hydrophobic and durable property. The wear resistance test found that C-20 maintained a WCA greater than 150° in 50 tape strips and 2 000 mm sandpaper wear tests, indicating that it possessed good mechanical durability. After soaking in the solution with pH=1, 7 and 13 for 24 h, respectively, C-20 could maintain a WCA greater than 150°. Especially after soaking in 3.5wt.% NaCl solution for 48 h, WCA was still higher than 160°, which was much higher than the performance of C-22. This suggested that more complex rough micro-nanostructures could trap more air and keep chemical stability. For the 48 h UV aging test, the superhydrophobicity of the three superhydrophobic coatings hardly changed. In conclusion, it could be seen that the long chain fatty acid cerium SHPS prepared by electrodeposition exhibits good superhydrophobicity and durability. The research on longer carbon chain fatty acids also provides a new idea for the preparation of superhydrophobic materials, showing broad application prospects.

Key words

fatty acid cerium / superhydrophobic coating / micro/nano structure / non-wettability / durability

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ZHOU Enqi, SHEN Yizhou, JIANG Jiawei, TAO Jie. Non-wetting Characteristics and Durability Properties of Long Carbon Chain Saturated Fatty Acid Cerium Superhydrophobic Coatings[J]. Surface Technology. 2025, 54(18): 130-141 https://doi.org/10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.18.013

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