Wettability of carbon surfaces by pure molten alkali chlorides and their penetration into a porous graphite substrate

The wettability of graphite and glassy carbon surfaces by pure molten alkali chlorides (NaCl, KCl, RbCl, CsCl) was measured by the sessile drop method. The contact angle was found to decrease with increase of the cation radius of the chloride. Using our measured and available literature data, a new, semi-empirical model is established to estimate the adhesion energy between the 20 alkali halide molten salts and graphite (or glassy carbon). The adhesion energy is found to increase with square of the radius of the cation, and the inverse of the radius of the anion of the salt. The minimum possible value for the surface energy of graphite (and glassy carbon) was found as 150 +/- 30 mJ/m(2). The critical contact angle of spontaneous penetration (infiltration) of the molten chlorides into a porous graphite substrate was found experimentally below 90 degrees, in the interval between 31 degrees and 58 degrees. This is explained by the inner structure of the porous graphite. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.