Fabrication of durable and superhydrophobic Zn-Ni/TiO₂/PVDF composite coatings with enhanced mechanical stability and superior corrosion protection for steel substrates.

Authors

Huda F Khalil, Ahmed S Abou-Elyazed, Mervette El Batouti, Adel A-H Abdel-Rahman, Mostafa Y Nassar, Sara Gad

Published in

RSC advances. Jul 22, 2026. Epub Jul 22, 2026.

Abstract

This study reports the fabrication of robust, superhydrophobic (100 - x)Zn-Ni/xTiO₂/PVDF composite coatings on steel substrates. The impact of TiO₂ NPs concentration x = (0, 1, 3, 5, and 7)wt% on mechanical durability and corrosion resistance was systematically evaluated. Mechanical testing via sandpaper abrasion confirmed that the optimized ZT-5 specimen (5 wt% TiO₂) maintains superior superhydrophobicity. It retained a water contact angle above 150° and a sliding angle below 10° after 900 mm of abrasion. Potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) revealed a significant noble shift in a corrosion potential for ZT-5, moving from -605.2 mV to -338.4 mV. This resulted in an exceptional inhibition efficiency of 99.9%. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) further validated these results. The ZT-5 coating exhibited the largest Nyquist semicircle diameter with a peak imaginary impedance of Z″ ≈ 4100 Ω cm², nearly four times higher than the bare ZT-0 sample. This performance is attributed to the stable Cassie-Baxter state, where the hierarchical structure traps an air-cushion layer that acts as a dielectric barrier against CI^- ions. These findings highlight the ZT-5 composite as a durable, efficient solution for enhancing and durable corrosion protection.

PMID:
42488799
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Jul 2026.

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