Electrodeposition of decorative and protective Zn-Fe coating onto low-carbon steel substrate

Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were performed in conjunction with SEM technique to study the electroplating process of Zn-Fe alloys. The technological parameters for Zn-Fe electroplating have been optimized and the smooth Zn-Fe coatings with high corrosion resistances were obtained. The results also show that, under our experimental conditions, the deposition of Zn-Fe behaved anomalously and followed the mechanism of three-dimensional (3D) nucleation. With the increase of deposition potential, the grain growth changed from progressive to instantaneous. Meanwhile, a new viewpoint was proposed to explain the anomalous co-deposition behavior of Zn-Fe coatings.