Facile and fast fabrication method for mechanically robust superhydrophobic surface on aluminum foil

This work reports a simple method to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces on aluminum foil via high-field electrochemical anodization in oxalic acid aqueous solution. Different morphologies of these superhydrophobic surfaces can be obtained by adjusting anodization time and current. These surfaces reveal remarkable superhydrophobicity after the modification of fluorinated silane solution. The maximum contact angle (CA), 163° ± 2°, can be easily obtained by this simple method. And the sliding angle (SA) is less than 2°. The superhydrophobic surface shows a long-term stability over a wide pH range. The corrosion current density of the superhydrophobic aluminum is reduced by about one order of magnitude compared to the untreated aluminum. This fabricated superhydrophobic surface has a promising application in anti-corrosion fields.