Effect of resveratrol on Sn-Fe alloy electrodeposition

• We verified that resveratrol has better antioxidant properties than other stabilizers. • Resveratrol was successfully introduced to bath for improving the stability. • We confirmed the optimal concentration of resveratrol in the bath. The Sn-Fe alloy coating is a potential choice for decorative coatings and electronic products because of its excellent performance. However, oxidation of the bath is likely to occur in the process of use, which limits the production of electrodeposition of Sn-Fe alloy. Resveratrol has excellent antioxidant capacity and is considered as a non-polluting natural antioxidant. However, the understanding of using of resveratrol as stabilizer for electroplating solution in the field of electrodeposition is limited. In this study, resveratrol, hydroquinone and TBHQ are selected as the stabilizers of the electroplating bath to conduct comparative experiments for measuring the stability effect of resveratrol. The antioxidant capacities of three stabilizers are compared by means of the natural oxidation experiment, H 2 O 2 accelerated oxidation experiment and electrochemical testing. The natural oxidation experiment and H 2 O 2 accelerated oxidation experiment confirm that the antioxidant effect of resveratrol is higher than hydroquinone and TBHQ. To determine the optimal concentration of resveratrol in the electroplating solution, EIS and salt spray test were conducted. These results show that appropriate resveratrol can improve the corrosion resistance of the coating, but excessive resveratrol is detrimental to corrosion resistance. Therefore, the optimal concentration of resveratrol in the electroplating solution is 1.0 g/L.