Spreading of liquid lead droplets on metallic iron covered by silicon oxide particles or films

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing, 2008-11, Vol.495 (1), p.90-95
• Main Authors: Zaïdi, M., Giorgi, M.-L., Guillot, J.-B., Goodwin, F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical heterogeneities; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Contact angle; Engineering Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Materials; Physics; Selective oxidation; Solid-fluid interfaces; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Wetting
• ISSN: 0921-5093; 1873-4936
• DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2007.10.109

As well known, the spreading of a liquid metal droplet on a solid metal is very sensitive to the presence of chemical heterogeneities on the solid metal. In this study, wetting experiments with liquid lead on heterogeneous surfaces composed of iron and silicon oxide particles or films were performed using the dispensed drop technique. High purity iron and binary iron–silicon substrates with different silicon contents were studied. Before the wetting experiments, the substrates are annealed at 850 °C in a N 2–H 2 atmosphere in order to reduce iron oxides and to form silicon oxide particles or films on the surface. The liquid lead droplet is then released onto the metallic substrate partly or wholly covered by the oxides. The spreading of the liquid metal droplet strongly depends on the surface area fraction covered by the oxides.