Preparation of biomimetic hydrophobic coatings on AZ91D magnesium alloy surface

The hydrophobic coating has been a promising technology for improving surface performance. The surface performance of magnesium alloy has been limited in application. Furthermore, the hydrophobic of magnesium alloy is rarely investigated because magnesium alloy is an active metal alloy. In this paper, inspired by microstructure character of typical plant leaf surface such as lotus, the biomimetic hydrophobic coatings on AZ91D magnesium alloy surface were prepared by means of wet-chemical combining electroless. The samples were immersed into AgNO3 solution in wet-chemical method firstly. Then, biomimetic hydrophobic coatings were prepared by electroless after wet-method pretreatment. The microstructure was observed by SEM and the contact angles were measured by contact angle tester. The results indicated that the biomimetic hydrophobic coatings with uniform crystalline and dense structure could be obtained on AZ91D magnesium alloy surface. The results of contact angle revealed that the biomimetic nano-composite coatings were hydrophobic. The wet-chemical method treatment on the AZ91D magnesium alloy substrate provided a rough microstructure, thus improving adhesion of the coating and the substrate.