Wettability of sodium chloride aqueous solutions on SUS304 stainless steel with current flow

Abstract

The wettability of NaCl solutions on SUS304 stainless steel was investigated under cathodic and anodic current. It was found that the contact angle became small when a cathodic current of 1.0mA was applied, with a tendency of higher wettability for higher concentrations (between 0.01% and 0.1%). However, the decrease in the contact angle is irreversible even if the current is stopped or anodic current is applied. This phenomenon can be attributed to changes in the electric charge and the passive film at the interface. © 2010 The Japan Institute of Metals.