The Effect of Current Density on Morphology and Texture of Zinc Electrodeposit on Steel

Zinc was electrodeposited from an acidic sulphate solution on commercial steel sheet substrates galvanostatically at 10, 20, and 100 mA/cm2. The steel substrates had an average roughness number of 1.34 microns and a high percentage of its grains had their (111) planes parallel to the plate surface. During electrodeposition at 10 mA/cm2, on some specimens, there was an intense potential fluctuation around –870 mV vs Saturated Calomel Electrode (SCE). During this period zinc hydroxide precipitated on the surface. After a certain time, the potential dropped to –1020 for zinc deposition. Zinc nuclei were seen to precipitate from zinc hydroxide. Increasing current density changed nucleation mode from progressive to instantaneous, and also changed the size, morphology, and texture of zinc deposits. Keywords: Zinc Electroplating, Current Density, Morphology, Orientation