A stable superhydrophobicity on aluminum alloy has been rendered by a low-cost one-step method, simply immersing the substrates in a solution containing hydrochloric acid and fatty acid molecules. The formation mechanism of such a surface was proposed by SEM morphology and EDS results. The resulting surface shows superhydrophobicity and low adhesion. This low cost and facile process provides a real feasible avenue for large-scale production of superhydrophobic surfaces. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.