Robust water-borne multi-layered superhydrophobic coating on concrete with ultra-low permeability

• Published in: Construction & building materials 2024-01, Vol.411, p.134573, Article 134573
• Main Authors: Gu, Wancheng, Liu, Riyong, Zhang, Yu, Yu, Xinquan, Feng, Pan, Ran, Qianping, Zhang, Yuxin, Zhang, Youfa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chloride resistance; Concrete; Multi-layered coating; Permeability; Superhydrophobicity
• ISSN: 0950-0618; 1879-0526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2023.134573

Concrete always suffers from deterioration under harsh conditions due to its hydrophilicity and porosity. Water and aggressive ions can easily penetrate the concrete which may result in safety concerns and tremendous economic loss. Coating protection can effectively prevent concrete from aggressive media penetration and improve concrete durability. Here, we fabricated a multi-layered superhydrophobic (MLS) coating with excellent superhydrophobicity and low permeability. The coating can maintain superhydrophobicity after heat treatment at 300 °C, 115-day outdoor exposure, and 500 cycles of Taber abrasion under a 1-kg load. Moreover, it has excellent resistance to chloride ions. We believe that the MLS coating has an interesting application prospect in concrete anticorrosion in bridges, ships, and other fields. •A novel form of the robust water-borne multi-layered superhydrophobic coating for concrete was fabricated.•The coating displayed excellent superhydrophobicity and low permeability.•The coating possessed excellent resistance to temperature variation, outdoor exposure, and abrasion.•The chloride resistance of the coated concrete was improved by 92% compared to the untreated one.