Mechanically stable superhydrophobic surface on cement-based materials

Abstract Superhydrophobic surface is one of the important strategies for the application of water and ice resistance. In this study, we focused on the nano structure of hydration product itself of cement and superhydrophobic surface was created on hardened cement pastes (HCP) without any additive. The surface microstructures and surface chemical composition of ordinary HCP (O-HCP) and superhydrophobic HCP (S-HCP) both were characterized by SEM and FTIR respectively. The results of water absorption and anti-icing tests showed that the prepared S-HCP had lower water permeability, ice-adhesion strength and ice accumulation than O-HCP. Meanwhile, the surface of S-HCP remained superhydrophobic property after a series of mechanical performance tests and weather resistance tests, which indicated that the SCM has great application potential.