Influence of [BMIM]HSO4 on electrodeposition and corrosion behavior of Zn coatings from acidic sulfate bath

The effect of 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate‐[BMIM]HSO₄ on the nucleation and growth of zinc from acidic sulfate bath was investigated at a glassy carbon (GC) electrode using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometric and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Dimensionless chronoamperometric current‐time transients for the electrodeposition of zinc on GC from the bath free of [BMIM]HSO₄ were in good accord with the theoretical transients for the limiting case of instantaneous three‐dimensional nucleation with diffusion‐controlled growth of the nuclei. The addition of [BMIM]HSO₄ was found to have a blocking effect on the electrodeposition of zinc and led to decrease of the nucleation and growth rate of nuclei. In addition, the instantaneous nucleation mechanism observed in the additive‐free bath was changed to a more progressive one when [BMIM]HSO₄ was present in the bath. Surface morphology analysis indicated that [BMIM]HSO₄ can induce the formation of finer grained deposits by the adsorption of additive in the first stages of deposition. The corrosion behavior of Q235 steel with coating by a thin layer of zinc in the absence and presence of [BMIM]HSO₄ was examined in 3.5% NaCl solution. The Zn coating obtained from the additive‐containing baths exhibited more excellent protection of the base metal in comparison to the additive‐free one. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.