Superhydrophobic surface based on self-aggregated alumina nanowire clusters fabricated by anodization

•Superhydrophobic surface modified with stearic acid was fabricated.•Rough Al structures were consisted of self-aggregated alumina nanowire clusters.•The sample exhibited excellent superhydrophobic and self-cleaning property.•The sample exhibited excellent anticorrosion property.

The hierarchical micro/nano structures were designed and successfully fabricated on the alumina surface by a facile anodization method. Different morphologies of these surfaces could be obtained by adjusting anodization time and voltage, which revealed remarkable superhydrophobicity after the modification of stearic acid. The maximum contact angle of 158° could be easily obtained by this simple method and the sliding angle (SA) was near to 0°. Moreover, the superhydrophobic surface showed good corrosive effect and stability in 3.5% NaCl solution and good self-cleaning ability as well. This investigation would provide a simple, cost-effective, and highly efficient approach to design stable superhydrophobicity, anticorrosion, and self-cleaning surfaces.

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