Fabrication of superhydrophobic concrete with stable mechanical properties and self-cleaning properties

Superhydrophobic concrete has the ability to remove surface stains and resist water erosion. In this paper, a fabrication medium of self-cleaning concrete with green environmental protection and stable mechanical properties is proposed. Hierarchical micro-nano composite structure was obtained by directly copying the micro-nano composite structure from the modified copper mesh to the surface of the newly poured concrete and then using octadecylamine-grafted humic acid to obtain low surface energy. Moreover, the microstructure and chemical composition of the fabricated concrete were characterized. The superhydrophobicity, wetting durability, and selfcleaning performance of the fabricated concrete were studied. Results indicated that the water contact angle of the prepared S-concrete reaches 158 degrees and the water sliding angle were as low as 5 degrees. In addition, due to the successful replication of the micro-nano composite structure, the precast concrete has good mechanical stability and self-cleaning performance compared with ordinary concrete.