Designing a Superhydrophobic Surface for Enhanced Atmospheric Corrosion Resistance Based on Coalescence-Induced Droplet Jumping Behavior

Coalescence-induced droplet jumping behavior of superhydrophobic surfaces has attracted increasing attention for condensation heat transfer, antifrosting, self-cleaning, and electrostatic energy harvesting applications. The potential of applying such functionalized behavior for atmospheric corrosion protection, however, is unknown. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, the feasibility of applying coalescence-induced droplet jumping behavior of a superhydrophobic surface for atmospheric corrosion protection. Based on the rational fabrication of two kinds of superhydrophobic surfaces that are advantageous and not advantageous for coalescence-induced droplet jumping behavior, we reveal a novel atmospheric corrosion protection mechanism by studying the correlations of the surface structure, droplet jumping behavior, and atmospheric corrosion resistance of the two surfaces. Our results demonstrate that the superhydrophobic surface with coalescence-induced droplet jumping behavior presents a better atmospheric corrosion resistance than the superhydrophobic surface without coalescence-induced droplet jumping behavior. This is because coalescence-induced droplet jumping behavior of the superhydrophobic surface offers a possible mechanism to switch the droplets from a partial wetting state to the mobile Cassie state, and this switch is critical for facilitating the recovery of the air film trapped in the microstructure of a surface. In particular, the recovered air film enhances the atmospheric corrosion resistance of a superhydrophobic surface due to its barrier-like character. The insights gained from this work not only open a new avenue for designing first-rank anticorrosion materials but also offer new opportunities for understanding the physics of jumping droplets in other promising applications.