Stearic acid modified zinc nano-coatings with superhydrophobicity and enhanced antifouling performance

In this work, zinc nano-coatings were fabricated on a carbon steel by electrodeposition and stearic acid modification, featuring superhydrophobicity and enhanced antifouling performance. The morphology, composition and structure of the prepared nano-coatings were characterized by various surface analysis techniques. The water and oil contact angles were measured. The superhydrophobicity of the prepared Zn coatings is attributed to the surface micro/nanostructure and the formed stearic acid layer with a low surface energy. The water contact angle is up to 158.4 ± 1.5°, with an estimated air-occupied fraction up to 90.8% of the total area of the coating under water droplets. The nano-coatings are also superhydrophobic to tea, milk and a soil solution. Moreover, the coated specimen has an oil contact angle of 48.1°, as compared to 8.6° on bare steel, indicating that the prepared nano-coatings improve the surface oleophobicity.