The wettability of metallic glasses: a review

Abstract

Metallic glasses, displaying extraordinary physical and chemical properties, have garnered robust research enthusiasm. Inspired by the exceptional wetting biological surfaces, superhydrophobic surfaces have attracted considerable attention. Superhydrophobic surfaces with both excellent mechanical and chemical stability could be prepared using metallic glasses and have developed considerably over the last few years. In this review, diverse fundamental aspects of wettability are discussed in detail. The methods for preparing superhydrophobic metallic glass surfaces are briefly summarized and compared. The corrosion resistance, self-cleaning, oil/water separation and other potential promising applications of the superhydrophobic surfaces are demonstrated. In the last section, the current limitations in preparative methods for superhydrophobic metallic glass surfaces and future trends in preparation and application are also discussed. It can be used to guide the surface modification of metallic glasses as well as more engineering applications.