Influence of ultrasound power and frequency upon corrosion kinetics of zinc in saline media

This paper is devoted to zinc corrosion and oxidation mechanism in an ultrasonically stirred aerated sodium sulfate electrolyte. It follows a previous study devoted to the influence of 20 kHz ultrasound upon zinc corrosion in NaOH electrolytes [Ultrason. Sonochemis. 8 (2001) 291]. In the present work, various ultrasound regimes were applied by changing the transmitted power and the wave frequency (20 and 40 kHz). Unlike NaOH electrolyte which turns the zinc electrode into a passive state, Na₂SO₄ saline media induces soft corrosion conditions. This allows a study of the combined effects of ultrasonically modified hydrodynamic and mechanical damage (cavitation) upon the zinc corrosion process. A series of initial experiments were carried out so as to determine the transmitted power and to characterize mass transfer distribution in the electrochemical cell. Zinc corrosion and oxidation process were subsequently studied with respect to the vibrating parameters. When exposed to a 20 kHz ultrasonic field, and provided that the electrode is situated at a maximum mass transfer point, the corrosion rate reaches values six to eight times greater than in silent conditions. The zinc oxidation reaction, in the absence of competitive reduction reactions, is also activated by ultrasound (20 and 40 kHz) but probably through a different process of surface activation.