Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surface With Enhanced Corrosion Resistance on High‐Strength 2A12‐T4 Aluminum Alloy Used in Aviation

The 2A12‐T4 aluminum alloy is widely applied as important structural components in aerospace. It is served in an environment with high humidity and high concentration of halogen ions for the long term, which accelerates the corrosion rate of the oxide film. Therefore, the service life of the alloy is seriously affected. To solve the above issue, the superhydrophobic surface is prepared through the combination of hydrochloric acid etching and boiling water bath heating. When the hydrochloric acid etching time is 5 min, the boiling water bath time is 20 min, the contact angle of the surface reaches a maximum value of 152.43°, and the water droplets can slide down autonomously. Besides, the corrosion resistance of the alloy is significantly enhanced: the corrosion potential value of the superhydrophobic surface increases from −0.3798 V SCE to −0.2328 V SCE , meanwhile the density value of the corrosion current decreases from 3.661 × 10 −8 to 2.6525×10 −9 A/cm 2 . The value of corrosion inhibition efficiency reaches 92.75%. The value of R CT increases from 14797 to 64298 Ω·cm 2 . An effective method is provided to improve the corrosion resistance of high‐strength aluminum alloys by fabricating a superhydrophobic surface.