SPP 2171 Spring Conference: Dynamic Wetting of Flexible, Adaptive, and Switchable Substrates

Water drops spontaneously become electrically charged when moving on different surfaces, such as plant leaves, building walls, window glass, and plastic. This process is called contact or slide electrification. The electric potential of water drops charged in this way can even exceed 1 kV. A vital question as yet unanswered is whether the charge in water drops generates corrosion. Here, we demonstrate that even on metal surfaces that have a protective coating, spontaneously charged water drops can cause dielectric breakdown of the coating and then corrode the metal through electrochemical reactions. We encounter many surfaces in daily life where this corrosion mechanism occurs easily and yet has been completely overlooked.