Electrodeposition and characterization of zinc–nickel–iron alloy from sulfate bath: influence of plating bath temperature

Abstract

The electrodeposition of ternary zinc–nickel–iron alloy was studied in acidic sulfate bath. The comparison between Zn, Ni, and Fe deposition and Zn–Ni and Zn–Ni–Fe co-deposition revealed that the remarkable inhibition of Ni and Fe deposition takes place due to the presence of Zn2+ in the plating bath. The increase in corrosion resistance of ternary deposits is not only attributed to the formation of γ-Ni2Zn11 phase but also to iron co-deposition and formation of iron phase. It was also found that the bath temperature has a great effect on the surface appearance and the deposit composition. The investigation was carried out using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic techniques for electrodeposition, while linear polarization resistance and anodic linear sweeping voltammetry techniques were used for corrosion study. Morphology and chemical composition of the deposits were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy.