Abstract

Bioinspired superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) have been proven to afford high corrosion inhibition to the underlying metal. Targeting brass metal, this paper presents a biomimetic mineralization route for obtaining SHS. Calcium carbonate is first synthesized in an ethanol solution containing an organic curing agent through CO2 gas introduction, resulting in colloidal material. Subsequent modification with stearic acid yields the SHS. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) experiments reveal that the biomimetic calcium carbonate cluster coating significantly improves the corrosion inhibition performance. After the coverage of the CaCO3 SHS, the low-frequency impedance modulus value increases to 4.6 × 105 Ω cm2, which is enhanced compared with the bare brass with 3.2 × 103 Ω cm2. Meanwhile, the corrosion current density value decreases substantially from 2.31 × 10−6 mA/cm2 for bare metal to 1.30 × 10−8 mA/cm2 for the SHS surface. This demonstrates its high anti-corrosion properties. Acid-base corrosion tests further confirm the good resistance of the coating to an alkaline environment. Moreover, the coating exhibits anti-freezing adhesion and self-cleaning properties, surpassing the bare brass. The combined characteristics of the biomimetic calcium carbonate SHS coating highlight the promising potential in corrosion protection applications.

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