Manufacturing of stable hydrophobic surface on rare-earth oxides aluminium hybrid composite

Abstract

Hydrophobic surfaces have shown promising applications in the field of energy, medicines, transportation and aerospace. Currently used materials including metals, alloys and metal matrix composites have shown hydrophilic behaviour and require some alternatives materials in order to make them hydrophobic. However, these alternatives materials go down in severe environmental conditions. Instead of alternative materials to be called as surface modifier, the addition of lanthanides series rare-earth-oxides (REOs) as reinforcement for class of aluminium hybrid composites is studied for their effect on hydrophobic properties. Wettability behavior analysis between the aluminium liquid matrix and Al2O3/SiC reinforcement can be improved by the addition of REOs. Results showed that the contact angle of composites with Al2O3/SiC reinforcement lies in the range of 87.94° to 98.52°. Whereas addition of 2.5 wt % REO raised the contact angle above 100.78°. The hybrid composites with REOs show better corrosion resistant properties due to better hydrophobicity. As REO ceramics have better mechanical, thermal and chemical properties as compared with polymer-based materials, they can be applied to the industrial conditions involving exposure to elevated temperature or abrasive wear without degradation of the water repelling properties. The water repellency of the aluminum based hybrid composites improved with the incorporation of rare earth nano-particles as per the Cassie-Baxter Model.