Changes in surface morphology and work function caused by corrosion in aluminum alloys

Corrosion behavior of a material is complicated and can affect strongly its surface physical and chemical properties. In this study, the effect of corrosion on surface morphology and electron work function (EWF) of various Al alloys was comparatively investigated using a scanning electron microscopy and a scanning Kelvin probe. The experimental results showed that the change in EWF with corrosion time was not linear, but firstly increased and then decreased. The theoretical treatments demonstrated that such a change in EWF did not only depend on the surface roughness, but also correlate with oxide layers formed at the surfaces of Al alloys. The present results can also be used to reasonably explain the correlation between surface roughness and EWF reported previously.