Superhydrophobic aluminium-based surfaces: Wetting and wear properties of different CVD-generated coating types

•Superhydrophobicity occurred with PTFE-AC-coated Al after intensified anodisation.•This coating exhibited own roughness features in the sub-/ low-micrometre ranges.•Polysiloxane coatings afforded smooth surfaces with incomplete water-repellence.•Artificial weathering resulted in a general worsening of the wetting behaviour.•Both coating types displayed strong differences in their sensitivity towards wear.•Cross-linkages between polymer chains are prerequisite for mechanically stable SH. In view of generating superhydrophobic aluminium-based surfaces, this work presents further results for the combination of anodic oxidation as the primary pretreatment method and chemical vapour deposition (CVD) variants for chemical modification producing coatings of 250–1000nm thickness. In detail, CVD involved the utilisation of i – hexafluoropropylene oxide as precursor within the hot filament CVD process for the deposition of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) coatings at alternative conditions (PTFE-AC) and ii – 1,3,5-trivinyltrimethylcyclotrisiloxane for the deposition of polysiloxane coatings (PSi) by initiated CVD. The substrate material was Al Mg1 subjected to usual or intensified sulphuric acid anodisation pretreatments (SAAu, SAAi, respectively) affording various degrees of surface micro-roughness (SAAu