A Rotating Ring-Disc Electrode Study of Zinc Electrodeposition from Zincate Solutions

The electrodeposition of zinc on iron/steel and the simultaneous evolution of hydrogen have been investigated using a rotating ring-disc electrode technique.

The effects of the hydrodynamic conditions, the concentration of ZnO and NaOH as well as the addition of commercially available organic additives were evaluated. The data were supplemented with the investigations of hydrogen permeation performed by the Devanathan-Stachurski bipolar electrode method.

It was found that the additives inhibited the electrodeposition of Zn and stimulated the hydrogen evolution from the cathode to the electrolyte. The hydrogen permeation in the iron substrate was suppressed in the presence of the additives in the electrolyte.