On altering the wetting behaviour and corrosion resistance of a large metallic surface area by wire electrochemical texturing

Abstract This paper presents a novel and practically applicable method for a quick fabrication of uniform surface patterns (periodic micro-pillars with rectangular and square cross-section) on a large surface area of any conducting or semi-conducting material using Wire Electrochemical Micromachining (Wire-ECMM). Micro pillars with a rectangular cross-section are generated by machining mutually perpendicular micro channels. The depth, spacing, and cross-sectional area of pillars are controlled by varying the process parameters and tool travel distance. Primary pillars (level-1 texture) are machined with a constant Direct Current (DC) voltage and secondary pillars (level-2 texture) are machined with a pulsed DC voltage using a tungsten wire of diameter 100 μm. An aqueous solution of sodium nitrate (NaNO3) is selected as an electrolyte having a pH of about 7.01. A good repeatability in the geometrical parameters of a pillar profile is observed on analysing 3D profilometer micrographs of the textured surfaces. Wetting behaviour of textured surfaces with different geometrical parameters is observed using drop shape analyser. A surface with two levels of textures offers highest contact angle of 147.3° with deionized water. Corrosion current and resistance of the textured surfaces are obtained using Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), respectively. Results suggest that corrosion resistance depends upon the area of texture and is highest for the sample with the largest textured area. Also, a sample with the smallest value of area factor (ratio of total area of the top surface of all the pillars in a region to the total projected area of a region) offers highest resistance to corrosion.