Surface work function (WF) and the corrosion behavior of copper under influence of plastic strain were investigated using experimental and computational approaches. It was observed that both the corrosion potential (Ecorr) and the WF decreased while the corrosion rate increased with an increase in plastic strain, indicating that the strained surface layer became more electrochemically active. Ecorr and WF eventually became stable when the plastic strain reached a certain level. However, the corrosion rate continuously increased. It was demonstrated that this continuous increase in corrosion rate could be dominated by the dislocation density rather than the corrosion potential. The study has shown that the WF is closely related to the corrosion potential and could thus be a sensitive parameter for investigating mechanisms responsible for corrosive wear. The investigation of the effects of plastic deformation on the corrosion behavior would help to fundamentally understand the synergism of wear and corrosion. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.