A novel superhydrophobic Ni-graphene coating and its corrosion resistance

A novel superhydrophobic Ni-graphene coating is synthesized on mild steel by one-step electrodeposition. The microtopography and contact angle of coatings deposited at varied deposition conditions were investigated to obtain the optimized preparation parameters. The anti-corrosion performance of the coatings was investigated by electrochemical polarization in synthetic seawater. The results illustrate that the Ni-graphene coatings deposited at GO concentration of 0.2 g·L–1 and current density of 4 A·dm–2 possessed dual roughness structures. After stored for 14 days in a vacuum drying chamber, the coating exhibited a contact angle of 156.1° and a sliding angle of 6.2°. Furthermore, the corrosion current density of the superhydrophobic coating was only 2.3×10–8 A·cm–2. This facilely prepared fluorine-free Ni-graphene superhydrophobic coating can potentially provide a pathway for corrosion control in the oil and gas industry.