Superior corrosion resistance and anti-biofouling performance via electrodeposited graphene oxide/silane composite coating with special wettability

Abstract

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) coating fails to provide stable anti-corrosion ability and anti-biofouling performance on metals. In this work, by exploiting the 2D graphene oxide and silane molecule, an eco-friendly and facile electrodeposition strategy for preparation of fluoride-free superhydrophobic coating (LDH-GO/DTMS) is developed, in which the aforementioned challenges can be addressed. Electrochemical test and bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption experiment of the LDH-GO/DTMS coating are investigated. As results, the LDH-GO/DTMS coating exhibits a high protection efficiency (99.98 ± 0.10 %) and corrosion current density (Icorr) decreases by ~4 orders of magnitude compared to bare Al alloy. The adsorption content of BSA on the coating decreases by ~9-fold compared to bare Al alloy. Furthermore, impedance modulus at 0.01 Hz (|Z|0.01 Hz) of the composite coating (4.05 ± 0.05 MΩ·cm2) is still ~2 orders of magnitude higher than Al alloy after immersion in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution over 30 days. The special wettability, physical barrier and the labyrinth effect endow the coating with good anti-corrosion and anti-biofouling property. This eco-friendly and fluorine-free strategy provides new insights for developing anti-corrosive and anti-biofouling coatings on metals used in marine environment.