A fast, low temperature zinc phosphate coating on steel accelerated by graphene oxide

Graphene oxide (GO) is used to accelerate zinc phosphating process on steel. The effect of GO on microstructure and corrosion resistance of phosphate coating is investigated. Experiments show that GO sheets can act as sedimentary beds at the initial stage of phosphating process, which can capture metal ions and thus favor the nucleation of phosphate crystals. When the concentration of GO is optimized to be 1.2 g/L, the phosphate coating possesses the most uniform and compact structure and achieves the strongest corrosion resistance. Results demonstrate that GO can effectively accelerate phosphating process and enhance corrosion resistance of phosphate coating.