Fabrication and Tribological Performance of Superhydrophobic Film on Zinc Substrate

The super-hydrophobic films on Zinc(Zn) substrate were fabricated by a simple two-step process.Firstly,nano-structured film was created to roughen Zn surface by solution oxidation process in the presence of N,N,-dimethylformamide(DMF).Resultant roughened Zn surface was then overcoated with stearic acid to achieve superhydrophobicity.Scanning electron microscope,FT-IR microscope and water contact angle measurement were performed to characterize the morphological feature,chemical composition and super-hydrophobicity of the surface.The resulting surfaces with uniform and packed nanorod structure have a water contact angle as high as about 155o and provide effective friction-reducing and wear protection for Zn substrate,due to the combined beneficial effects of nanotexturing of DMF treatment and nanolubrication of self-assembled stearic acid overcoat.