Superhydrophobic nickel/manganese alloy coatings on carbon steel with corrosion resistance and robustness capabilities prepared via one-step electrodeposition method

To improve the practical application of carbon steel, developing a superhydrophobic coating with outstanding mechanical properties is essential for effective corrosion resistance protection. Here, we obtained a robust superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coating with a cauliflower structure by co-depositing the lauric acid with Ni ions and Mn ions onto a carbon steel through electrodeposition method. As demonstrated by the results, superhydrophobic Ni/Mn alloy (SNMAmit) displays a multi-hierarchical micro/nano cauliflower structure under the synergy of optimal parameters, exhibiting superb superhydrophobicity with contact angle of 161.9° and sliding angle of 6.2°. Surprisingly, the Tafel polarization curves in 3.5% NaCl showed that the corrosion potential of SNMAmit coating was 476 mV, and the corrosion current density was reduced from 1.39 × 10⁻⁵ to 5.89 × 10⁻⁷ A/cm². The reduced corrosion current density of superhydrophobic Ni/Mn alloy (SNMA) indicates that SNMA coating can significantly enhance the anti-corrosion properties of carbon steel. In addition, after being subjected to various damages such as blade scraping, tape cyclic peeling, acid and alkalis, sandpaper cyclic abrasion, high temperatures, ultrasound, and graphite contaminant, SNMA showed good mechanical stability, interference resistance, heat resistance, and self-cleaning properties, which made it suitable for hostile conditions.