The corrosion resistance of the three-layer superhydrophobic composite coating on carbon steel in sterilized seawater is investigated using electrochemical and contact angle measurements. The composite coating consists of Ni-P, TiO2/ZnO and octadecyltrimethoxysilane (ODS) molecules. The corrosion resistance of the composite coating is estimated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization curves. The results show that forming a bi-layer or three-layer composite coating on carbon steel considerably improves the corrosion resistant in sterilized seawater. The corrosion mechanism of the composite coating on carbon steel is proposed through the equivalent circuit. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.