Electrodeposition of ZnNi Alloys from Choline Chloride/Ethylene Glycol Deep Eutectic Solvent and Pure Ethylene Glycol for Corrosion Protection

The present work follows the trend to develop non-aqueous electrolytes for the deposition of corrosion resistant ZnNi alloys. It investigates the use of the choline chloride/ethylene glycol (1:2 molar ratio) eutectic mixture and of pure ethylene glycol as solvents for ZnNi electroplating. The electrochemical behavior of Zn and Ni is investigated via cyclic voltammetry, and potentiostatic ZnNi deposition is performed. Ni content is found to be precisely tunable in the 10-20% wt range, which presents the highest industrial interest for corrosion protection. ZnNi coatings obtained are characterized from the morphological and phase composition point of view. Evidence of the formation of a metastable γ ZnNi phase is observed for both choline chloride/ethylene glycol and pure ethylene glycol. Finally, potentiodynamic corrosion tests are performed to assess their corrosion properties.