Fabrication of multifunctional amphiphobic surfaces on copper substrates

Amphiphobic surfaces can protect metal from corrosion and pollution, while most methods of fabricating amphiphobic surfaces mainly focused on how to obtain specific rough structures by complex processes, particular equipments, tightly controlled conditions and long time modification with a low surface energy material, lacked of exploring how to obtain lower surface energy by improving low surface energy materials. Herein, a facile, easy to control, and time-saving modification method using an ingenious mixed modified solution of stearic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid was proposed to fabricate amphiphobic surfaces on copper substrates. The as-fabricated surface presented superhydrophobicity and oleophobicity with high oil contact angle (OCA) (136.6 degrees), higher water contact angle (WCA) (156.7 degrees) and fairly low water sliding angle (WSA) (close to 0 degrees). In addition, superior stability was displayed by measuring the WCA in pH ranging from 1 to 13 and long-time water jet impact test. Furthermore, the amphiphobic surface possessed an excellent antifouling property even after being extracted from foul water contaminated with cement and some other common solutions. An outstanding anticorrosion property in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution was also showed. The facile, easy to control, and time-saving method can provide insight into the fabrication of amphiphobic surfaces on metal substrates and can pave the way for various industrial and practical applications of amphiphobic surfaces.