The effect of synthetic zinc corrosion products on corrosion of electrogalvanized steel: I. Cathodic reactivity under zinc corrosion products

• Model zinc patinas are electrochemically synthesed on electrogalvanized steel.
• Transformations between products with pH and anion concentration are studied.
• Zinc patinas decrease the cathodic reactivity of steel in 0.85 M NaCl at pH 7 and 9.
• Effect of simonkolleite formed from 7.5 and 2.5 μm thick zinc layers is similar.

The differences in the reactivity of carbon steel covered or not by a layer of electrochemically synthesed zinc corrosion products were observed in 0.85 M NaCl at different initial pH. The magnitude of the cathodic current /j/ increases in the order: /j(steel/Na2Zn3(CO3)4⋅3H2O)/