Synergistic Effect of Additives on Properties of Zinc Electrodeposit

Steel is one of the versatile materials widely used in civil, domestic, automobile, agriculture and construction sectors. It is more vulnerable to corrosion under aggressive environmental conditions. The corrosion protection of steel is the major problem faced by many countries. The protection of steel against corrosion is generally made by electrodeposition of zinc which is the most extensively used industrial surface finishing process. It enhances the service life of steel by acting as a sacrificial anode. The electroplated bright zinc is very ductile and adherent and the process is widely used in the continuous plating of strips and wires where severe deformation is encountered in its utility. Many combinations of brightening and levelling agents are reported in the literature which develops bright zinc coating over a wide current density range with remarkable corrosion resistance, good throwing power and high efficiency of the plating bath. The results of the present study help in the development of bright zinc electrodeposit exhibiting higher corrosion resistance using a combination of additives such as brightener and leveler.