Electrodeposition of zinc from ethylene carbonate-ZnCl2 electrolyte system

Zinc is a commonly used corrosion-resistant coating for steel surface protection. In this study, the ethylene carbonate-zinc chloride (EC-ZnCl 2 ) electrolyte systems are selected for zinc electrodeposition, and their ionic structure and properties were studied. The corrosion resistance of the electrodeposited zinc coatings obtained from 4EC-ZnCl 2 , 3EC-ZnCl 2 , and 2EC-ZnCl 2 systems was analyzed. Raman spectroscopic analysis shows that these EC-ZnCl 2 systems contain [Zn 2 Cl 6 ] 2− species. The relationship between conductivity, viscosity, and density with the temperature of EC-ZnCl 2 systems was provided. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and potentiodynamic polarization curve (Tafel) tests showed that when the deposition was carried out at –1.0 V and –1.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for two hours, a uniform zinc coating with good corrosion resistance could be obtained.