Fast fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces on Ti-6Al-4V substrates by deposition of lead

In this paper, superhydrophobic Pb surfaces on Ti-6Al-4V substrates were fabricated based on immersion method in just 30-60 s followed by subsequent low surface energy materials modification. Hierarchical micro- and nanoscale structures were generated on titanium alloy substrates when immersed in Pb(CH3COO)2 solution. Then, the as-immersed specimens were chemically modified via fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) so as to reduce the surface energy. The as-prepared superhydrophobic Pb-coated titanium alloy surfaces, including morphologies, chemical compositions, and wettability were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) and contact angle measurements. The results showed that the Pb coatings on Ti-6Al-4V substrates displayed good superhydrophobicity with water contact angle of 165.5° ± 2.4° and sliding angle of 4.6° ± 2.1°. Additionally, variations in micro-morphologies, surface roughness, static and dynamic water contact angles of FAS-modified Pb-coated titanium alloy surfaces with immersion time were also investigated, and the prepared superhydrophobic surfaces exhibited long-term stability in air, good self-cleaning and anti-corrosion properties.