Wettability characteristics of microgroove patterned SS304 stainless steel surfaces

Surface wettability is an important property of functional materials. Wettability influences self-cleaning, drag reduction, corrosion inhibition, anti-icing functions of surfaces etc. This paper presents a study on the wettability of microgroove patterns on stainless steel SS304, a material that is popularly used in aeronautical and automobile sectors where high strength is required. By using a chemical etching technique, microgroove patterns were created on SS304 surfaces with varying ridge width to channel width ratio (RW/CW) ranging from 0.31 to 1.67. The geometry of the created microgrooves was measured using a 3D profilometer. The wetting behaviour of the microgroove surfaces was characterized by measuring the static water contact angle using the sessile drop method. Results showed that the microgroove patterns followed Casie-Baxter behaviour of wetting (i.e. CB model). They showed less wetting when compared to the SS304 flat surface. It was observed that the contact angle and contact diameter formed...