Innovative approach for suppressing corrosion of SS304 steel in saline water environment

Purpose - The failure of structures and components made of SS304 steel because of corrosion in the presence of saline water environment is still an unsolved issue across the globe. Conventionally, coatings and inhibitors are used to mitigate corrosion. The purpose of this study is to propose a novel method to tackle corrosion by means of micro-patterning on the surface and to explore the relation between surface morphology, corrosion and wetting nature of micro-patterned SS304 Steel. Design/methodology/approach - Groove-shaped micro-patterns were created on SS304 steel surface with varying ridge and channel widths. Wettability studies conducted on flat and micro-patterned steel surfaces using high speed camera. Corrosion tests carried out in saline water using an electrochemical test set-up to quantify the performance of micro-patterned surface over flat surface and scanning electron microscopic analysis to visualize the severity of corrosion on the surfaces of 55304 steel. Findings - Wettability studies showed that the micro-patterned steel surfaces were hydrophobic. Corrosion rates of the micro-patterned steel surfaces were lower by more than an order of magnitude compared to that of the flat steel surface. Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed that the micro-patterned steel surfaces had less surface damage compared to the flat surface. Originality/value - The author shows that the remarkable corrosion resistance shown by the micro-patterned steel surfaces is attributed to their hydrophobicity, which reduced the contact between the surfaces and the corrosive liquid media. Results from the investigation indicate that micro-patterning of SS304 steel surfaces is an effective route to decrease corrosion.