Structural and electrochemical characterization of Zn–TiO2 and Zn–WO3 nanocomposite coatings electrodeposited on St 37 steel

In this study, TiO2 and WO3 nano-sized particles were chosen as metal oxides to generate anticorrosive Zn composite coatings. The effects of type and amount of oxide particles on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of composite coatings on St 37 steel were investigated. In the first stage of study, electrochemical measurements were carried out in 3.5 % NaCl solution to determine the corrosion behavior of uncoated, Zn-coated, Zn–TiO2, and Zn–WO3 nanocomposite-coated steel samples. In the second stage, the time-dependent surface degradations of all samples immersed into NaCl solution were characterized using scanning electron microscope to observe the protective effect of nanoparticles. It was found that WO3 oxide-dispersed composite coating exhibited superior corrosion resistance.