Hydrophobic coating for corrosion protection and method of fabrication

Abstract

A method of fabricating a hydrophobic coating on a surface of a solid substrate which includes a layer-integrable material includes the steps of depositing a deformable layer of the layer-integrable material onto the surface of the solid substrate, forcibly embedding a plurality of particles within the deformable layer, and solidifying the deformable layer including the plurality of particles so as to be integral with the surface of the solid substrate. At least a portion of the plurality of particles is embedded at a threshold depth within the deformable layer prior to solidification.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a coating system used for corrosion protection, and, in particular, relates to a method for fabricating a hydrophobic coating system that is resistant to corrosion.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In a number of industries, extensive infrastructure is installed in harsh environments. Prolonged exposure to weathering conditions in such environment can cause structural degradation. For example, platforms and pipes used in the oil industry in marine environments are subject to prolonged exposure to infiltration by salt water, which cause the surfaces of these structures to corrode and degrade. In marine environments in particular, attempts have been made to protect surfaces against corrosion by increasing the water resistance (hydrophobicity) of the surfaces via the “Lotus effect.” The “Lotus effect” refers to the self-cleaning properties of the leaves of the Lotus flower. The leaves of the Lotus flower contain a microscopic ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides fabrication methods that have the advantage of being applicable to existing installations without requiring modification of the coating. This makes the methods cost-effective. One application is the protection of metal structures exposed to marine environments from corrosion. The metal structure is coated with a commercially-available epoxy paint and a coating according to the present invention is added for added surface roughness to achieve high hydrophobicity while minimally modifying the structure and integrity of the underlying paint and substrate. The particles are incorporated in proximity of the surface of the coating while it is still not completely cured.

Problems solved by technology

Prolonged exposure to weathering conditions in such environment can cause structural degradation.

For example, platforms and pipes used in the oil industry in marine environments are subject to prolonged exposure to infiltration by salt water, which cause the surfaces of these structures to corrode and degrade.

This approach suffers from difficulties and inefficiencies in forming the morphology in situ with nano-fabrication procedures or molds.

Accordingly, this approach is difficult to apply economically on a large scale.

A significant disadvantage of the second approach is the general lack of adhesion of the additives.

While these particle additives can be generally applied to a wide variety of surfaces and materials with outstanding results, their adhesion to the underlying substrate is usually not strong enough to provide protection for longer than a relatively short duration, e.g., several months.

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