Enhancement of low-zinc phosphate coatings with addition Ni2+ and Mn2+ cations: Structure, corrosion resistance and paint adhesion

Multi-cation phosphate coatings are used in various industries today to enhance the properties of the painting process. This study explored the impact of adding nickel and manganese ions to the low-zinc phosphating process on the properties of the resulting coating. The first step of the research examined the influence of the bath phosphating agents’ concentration, temperature and immersion time and pH on the phosphate coating on the steel 41Cr4 substrate. The second step explored the impact of varying concentrations of Zn, Ni and Mn cations in the phosphating bath and the third step compared the characteristics of zinc (single-cation), Zn–Ni (two-cation) and Zn–Ni–Mn (three-cation) phosphate. The surface thickness and weight per unit area of the phosphate coating, the total and free acid values, and the coating morphology and microstructure were measured; corrosion resistance tests including alkali solubility and salt spray tests were conducted. In addition, scratch, impact, hardness and bending tests of the paint layer were performed. The results indicated that introducing Ni2+ and Mn2+ cations into the low-zinc phosphating bath enhances the structure, corrosion resistance and paint adhesion of the phosphate coating. Scanning electron microscope images revealed that the optimal three-cation coating has a cubic and sheeted structure. Atomic force microscope analysis also demonstrated that in the tri-cation phosphate coating, compared to the zinc phosphate coating, the roughness (Ra) decreases by up to 50% and reaches 8.92 nm. The optimal three-cation coating has the highest corrosion resistance, which is attributed to the higher uniformity, lower porosity, fine crystalline structure, and high percentage of corrosion-resistant phases in the coating composition. The time to the onset of initial corrosion signs in the salt spray test, both without and with paint, increases by 50% and 225%, respectively, resulting in 11 and 180 h.