Corrosion resistance of the electro-galvanized steel treated in a titanium conversion solution

The conversion coating can be obtained by using a solution containing titanium tetrachloride, fluorosilicate acid and nitric acid. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the titanium conversion coating consisted of ZnO, TiO₂ and Zn₄Si₂O₇(OH)₂. The formation process of the titanium conversion coating was studied. Effects of the immersion time, pH value and solution temperature on the corrosion resistance and the chemical composition of the titanium conversion coating were investigated by the salt spray test (SST) and XPS, respectively. The results of XPS and SST showed that the titanium conversion coating displayed better corrosion resistance with higher contents of Si and Ti. Results of corrosion tests (the salt spray and electrochemical test) indicate that the corrosion resistance of the conversion coating by titanium solution is better than that of the conversion coating using the traditional chromate solution.