Electrodeposition process for the fabrication of copper dendrites film with stable superhydrophobicity

Copper dendrites on the copper surface were successfully prepared by electrodeposition in acidic copper sulfate aqueous solution containing ethanol. The XRD (X-ray diffraction) patterns indicate that the Cu dendrites possess fcc (face-centered cubic) crystal structure. The contact angle of the as-prepared Cu dendrites surface without palmitic acid modification is almost 0° and the surface is completely wetted by water. After modified with palmitic acid, the Cu dendrite surface shows superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of 160°. The polarization curves reveal that the superhydrophobic Cu dendrites surface exhibits a distinct passivation phenomenon, which could provide enhanced corrosion resistance for the substrate in the aqueous solution. The weight loss measurements show that the corrosion values of superhydrophobic surface is much lower than that of the bare copper, further meaning that the as-prepared surface has the anticorrosion performance.