Electrodeposition of a Novel Ternary Fe–W–Zn Alloy: Tuning Corrosion Properties of Fe–W Based Alloys by Zn Addition

Herein, we report the electrodeposition of a novel ternary Fe–W–Zn alloy. Ternary alloys with compositions of Fe–(29.08–35.96 at.%) W–(1.73–8.16 at.%) Zn were prepared by potentiostatic deposition in citrate–ammonia aqueous solution equipped with an anode chamber. The electrodeposition behavior of the ternary Fe–W–Zn alloys and the effect of the Zn addition were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry and in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance measurements. Ternary alloys with glossy appearances and smooth surface morphologies were fabricated, with a maximum current efficiency of approximately 43%. Incorporating Zn into the Fe–W alloy structure transformed the alloy structure into an amorphous-like nanocrystalline structure and refined the crystal size to a minimum of 1.45 nm. Potentiodynamic polarization test results showed that the corrosion resistance of the ternary Fe–W–Zn alloy with approximately 2 at.% Zn was distinctly improved compared to the binary Fe–W alloy, both in 1 M H2SO4 solution and neutral 3 mass% NaCl solution. Notably, the corrosion resistance was even better than Ni–W alloy in 1 M H2SO4 solution, with its unique passivation behavior. The incorporation of Zn was found to be effective for tuning the corrosion properties of Fe–W alloys.