Stability investigation of electrodeposited zirconium diboride ceramic coatings in molten zinc

ZrB 2 coating was synthesized by molten salt electrodeposition and its stability in molten zinc at 550 °C was investigated by static immersion tests. Macro morphologies, microstructures, phase and chemical composition of the uncoated and ZrB 2 ‐coated 201 stainless steels after immersion in molten zinc for different periods were analyzed to evaluate their corrosion resistance. The results indicated that bare substrate suffered severe corrosion after several hours immersion in molten zinc and the corrosive products were composed of inner δ phase (Fe, Cr)Zn 7 and outer ζ phase (Fe, Cr)Zn 13 . As a contrast, ZrB 2 coating acted as an effective barrier against the invasion of molten zinc and greatly improved the corrosion resistance of the substrate materials. The results may provide a potential way to design ZrB 2 ‐based ceramic coatings for corrosion protection in molten zinc environment.