Formation of superhydrophobic cerium oxide surfaces on aluminum substrate and its corrosion resistance properties

Superhydrophobic cerium oxide film was introduced to aluminum substrate by an in‐situ growth process and surface modification. Different molar ratios between Ce(NO₃)₃ · 6H₂O and C₆H₁₂N₄ were involved in this research. The morphologies, chemical compositions and wetting properties of the films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray detector, Fourier transfer infrared spectrometer and water contact angle (WCA) measurement, respectively. A great WCA of 158.8^o with a low angle hysteresis of about 3^o was obtained. Combination of uniform hierarchical micro‐nanostructure as revealed by SEM together with the hydrophobic alkyl groups from stearic acid was found to be responsible for the superior superhydrophobic property. The corrosion resistance performance of the superhydrophobic surface was evaluated by immersing in sodium chloride aqueous solution, the WCA kept as high as 152.1^o after immersion for 21 days, indicating our superhydrophobic surfaces had high chemical stability and durability in corrosive medium. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.