Facile and Eco-Friendly Method for Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surface on Copper Metal

A superhydrophobic nickel film was successfully fabricated on copper surface by galvanostatic deposition in presence of palmitic acid as a superhydrophobic material and eggshell extract as additive. The electrodeposition process in presence of eggshell extract exhibits potential oscillations with 180 degrees antiphase shape. The surface morphology of the as-prepared nickel film was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), the results show that, in absence of eggshell extract the formed nickel film shows a smooth shape while in presence of eggshell extract the formed nickel film exhibits micro-nano structure with pine cone shape. The EDX results confirm the deposition of thin film of nickel on copper surface modified by low surface energy palmitic acid and the eggshell extract. The wettability of the deposited films indicates that, the as-prepared nickel film in presence of eggshell extract (Ni-C) exhibits superhydrophobicity with contact angle of 162 degrees and sliding angle of 3(o). The formed superhydrophobic film in presence of eggshell extract exhibits superhydrophobicity even after 200 abrasion, reflecting excellent mechanical resistance. In acidic, neutral, and basic environments the prepared superhydrophobic film display strong chemical stability. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results indicate that the formed superhydrophobic surface exhibits high corrosion resistance behavior.