Corrosion - GoKawiil

Study finds sliding raindrops build electric charge that corrodes coated metal

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research found that water droplets sliding down smooth surfaces such as glass, leaves, and Teflon-coated copper accumulate an electric charge. When these charged droplets reached copper plates coated with Teflon, they burrowed through the coating and pitted the metal beneath, an effect not seen when water simply dripped straight onto the plates without first sliding across another surface. The findings, published in Nature, also help explain why water moves more slowly than expected across seemingly frictionless smooth surfaces.

scientificamerican.com · 2026-08-27

Study finds ordinary water droplets can spontaneously acquire charge and corrode metal

Researchers demonstrated that water drops sitting on various hydrophobic and metallic surfaces can spontaneously build up electrical charge without any external triggering, and that this self-generated charge is sufficient to accelerate corrosion of underlying copper and other metals. The experiments used engineered materials such as PFOTS-coated quartz and ITO glass, Teflon-coated copper, and common items like PVC boards and copper foil tape to show the effect across different surfaces.

nature.com · 2026-08-26