Constructing Superhydrophobic Surface on Copper Substrate with Dealloying-Forming and Solution-Immersion Method

In this study, a superhydrophobic surface was constructed on a copper substrate through dealloying-forming and solution-immersion methods. The dealloying process for nanostructures on a copper surface involved the electrodeposition of zinc atoms, and the thermal alloying and chemical dealloying of zinc atoms. Then, a dealloyed copper surface was subsequently modified with low-surface-energy copper stearate to produce a superhydrophobic surface. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry were employed to characterize the morphological features and composition components of the surface in the fabrication process. The static contact angles of the copper surfaces were compared and evaluated based on various fabrication parameters, including electric current density, corrosive solution concentration, and nanostructures. The results indicated that a leaf-like copper stearate could be constructed through immersing a dealloyed copper plate into a 0.005 mol/L ethanol solution of stearic acid for 5 min. Nanostructures provided more attachment areas on the copper surface to facilitate the formation of copper stearate. The resulting as-prepared surface presented excellent superhydrophobic properties with a contact angle of over 156.5°, and showed the potential properties of non-sticking, self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, and stability. This study provides an efficient approach to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces for engineering copper metals.