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.