Development of multilayer Sn-Ni alloy coating by pulsed sonoelectrolysis for enhanced corrosion protection

Multilayer Sn-Ni alloy coating has been developed electrochemically on mild steel using an ultrasound effect, as a tool to modulate mass transfer process at electrical double layer, during deposition. Sn-Ni coatings having alternate layers of alloys of different compositions were developed on a nano/micrometric scale by pulsing sonicator ON (t_ON) and OFF (t_OFF), periodically. The composition modulated multilayer alloy (CMMA) Sn-Ni coatings have been deposited by inducing the ultrasound field periodically at optimal current density. Corrosion performances of ultrasound-assisted multilayer Sn-Ni alloy coatings have been evaluated by electrochemical methods. Corrosion data revealed that CMMA Sn-Ni coating, developed using pulsed ultrasonic field and having 150 layers, represented as (Sn-Ni)_2/2/150, is the most corrosion resistant, compared to its monolayer alloy coatings developed by both with/without ultrasound effect. Corrosion protection efficacy of multilayer coatings was found to be decreased at high degree of layering due to diffusion of layers. Improved corrosion resistance of multilayer Sn-Ni coatings is attributed to an increase in the number of layers, or interfaces separating alloys of the same metals, but of different composition, surface morphologies and phase structures, supported by energy dispersive spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction study, respectively. The better corrosion protection of CMMA Sn-Ni coatings, compared to monolayer counterparts, is attributed to an increase in the number of layers, hence phase boundaries between layers, and experimental results are discussed.