Patent ID: 7699936

Claim:
A method of treating a surface of a stainless steel substrate having metal oxide at the surface, the method comprising: contacting the surface of the stainless steel substrate with an acidic solution having a pH of from 0 to about 4 comprising one or more halogen ions present in said solution at a concentration of less than about 1×10 −3 to about 1×10 −6 molarity, wherein said solution reacts with the metal oxide in the absence of an impressed electrical current, and said anion reacts with said metal oxide to form a metal halide species soluble in said solution; and separating said metal halide species and said acidic solution from the surface to reduce the amount of said metal oxide thereon, wherein said stainless steel substrate is an electrically conductive element adapted for use in an electrochemical cell, wherein said separating to remove said metal oxide reduces electrical resistance of the surface thereby improving electrical conductivity of the element in said electrochemical cell.