Wettability of reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in different concentrations of sulfuric acid: Experimental and simulation study

Silicon carbide (SiC) exhibited high corrosion resistance and was able to maintain a stable solid-liquid interface, which has led to its widespread use in chemical equipment to achieve process intensification and efficiency enhancement. The performance of the equipment is directly influenced by the...

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Main Authors: Hao Yang, Xiaodan Yang, Zhenming Yang, Ranbo Yu, Jinsong Zhang, Yong Gao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Materials Research and Technology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S223878542501422X
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author Hao Yang
Xiaodan Yang
Zhenming Yang
Ranbo Yu
Jinsong Zhang
Yong Gao
author_facet Hao Yang
Xiaodan Yang
Zhenming Yang
Ranbo Yu
Jinsong Zhang
Yong Gao
author_sort Hao Yang
collection DOAJ
description Silicon carbide (SiC) exhibited high corrosion resistance and was able to maintain a stable solid-liquid interface, which has led to its widespread use in chemical equipment to achieve process intensification and efficiency enhancement. The performance of the equipment is directly influenced by the wettability of the solid-liquid interface. This underscores the necessity of investigating the wettability of SiC materials. In this study, reaction-bonded SiC surfaces with varying topography were fabricated through the adjustment of SiC powder particle size (D50 38.10 μm–2.34 μm) and the application of a reaction sintering process. Systematic examinations were conducted on the wettability of the reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in sulfuric acid solutions at concentrations of 0 wt%, 20 wt%, 50 wt%, and 80 wt% H2SO4. Results demonstrated that the surface morphology of reaction-bonded SiC was altered with decreasing median particle size, leading to a reduction in surface roughness from 9.043 μm to 0.653 μm. This morphological evolution was observed to induce a hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic transition, with maximum 124.371°and minimum 52.505° contact angles being measured in high- and low-surface-tension H2SO4 solutions, respectively. Furthermore, contact angles were observed to increase with the surface tension of H2SO4 solutions on the same surface. At the maximum 50 wt% and minimum 80 wt% surface tension concentrations, the contact angle decreased from 124.371° to 110.557°, which corresponded to an 11.1 % reduction. The conclusions were verified through theoretical calculations and simulations utilizing COMSOL Multiphysics software. This study offers a theoretical foundation for modulating the wettability of reaction-bonded SiC materials suited for use in corrosive liquid-phase environments through surface topography tailoring.
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spelling doaj-art-2a02b4fbf0364508bda313e06aa8d64b2025-08-20T03:10:24ZengElsevierJournal of Materials Research and Technology2238-78542025-07-013732033110.1016/j.jmrt.2025.05.266Wettability of reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in different concentrations of sulfuric acid: Experimental and simulation studyHao Yang0Xiaodan Yang1Zhenming Yang2Ranbo Yu3Jinsong Zhang4Yong Gao5School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, 11th Street, Shenyang, 110142, China; Liaoning Academy of Materials, 280 Chuangxin Road, Shenyang, 110167, ChinaShenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, ChinaShenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, China; Corresponding author.Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, 100083, ChinaLiaoning Academy of Materials, 280 Chuangxin Road, Shenyang, 110167, ChinaShenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, China; Corresponding author.Silicon carbide (SiC) exhibited high corrosion resistance and was able to maintain a stable solid-liquid interface, which has led to its widespread use in chemical equipment to achieve process intensification and efficiency enhancement. The performance of the equipment is directly influenced by the wettability of the solid-liquid interface. This underscores the necessity of investigating the wettability of SiC materials. In this study, reaction-bonded SiC surfaces with varying topography were fabricated through the adjustment of SiC powder particle size (D50 38.10 μm–2.34 μm) and the application of a reaction sintering process. Systematic examinations were conducted on the wettability of the reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in sulfuric acid solutions at concentrations of 0 wt%, 20 wt%, 50 wt%, and 80 wt% H2SO4. Results demonstrated that the surface morphology of reaction-bonded SiC was altered with decreasing median particle size, leading to a reduction in surface roughness from 9.043 μm to 0.653 μm. This morphological evolution was observed to induce a hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic transition, with maximum 124.371°and minimum 52.505° contact angles being measured in high- and low-surface-tension H2SO4 solutions, respectively. Furthermore, contact angles were observed to increase with the surface tension of H2SO4 solutions on the same surface. At the maximum 50 wt% and minimum 80 wt% surface tension concentrations, the contact angle decreased from 124.371° to 110.557°, which corresponded to an 11.1 % reduction. The conclusions were verified through theoretical calculations and simulations utilizing COMSOL Multiphysics software. This study offers a theoretical foundation for modulating the wettability of reaction-bonded SiC materials suited for use in corrosive liquid-phase environments through surface topography tailoring.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S223878542501422XReaction-bonded silicon carbideWettabilitySurface topographyCOMSOL multiphysics
spellingShingle Hao Yang
Xiaodan Yang
Zhenming Yang
Ranbo Yu
Jinsong Zhang
Yong Gao
Wettability of reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in different concentrations of sulfuric acid: Experimental and simulation study
Journal of Materials Research and Technology
Reaction-bonded silicon carbide
Wettability
Surface topography
COMSOL multiphysics
title Wettability of reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in different concentrations of sulfuric acid: Experimental and simulation study
title_full Wettability of reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in different concentrations of sulfuric acid: Experimental and simulation study
title_fullStr Wettability of reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in different concentrations of sulfuric acid: Experimental and simulation study
title_full_unstemmed Wettability of reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in different concentrations of sulfuric acid: Experimental and simulation study
title_short Wettability of reaction-bonded SiC surfaces in different concentrations of sulfuric acid: Experimental and simulation study
title_sort wettability of reaction bonded sic surfaces in different concentrations of sulfuric acid experimental and simulation study
topic Reaction-bonded silicon carbide
Wettability
Surface topography
COMSOL multiphysics
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S223878542501422X
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