Arduino-controlled pulse electrodeposition for low-cost zinc coating on stainless steel

Abstract Metal corrosion is a major challenge in the manufacturing sector. Pulse electrodeposition (PED) is a promising effective technique for metal corrosion protection; however, the coating quality depends on the PED parameters. This study involved metal corrosion protection research and aimed to improve the quality of the metal coating using the PED method. In this work, for the first time, the pulse electrodeposition (PED) method was used to coat stainless steel with zinc, and the PED parameters were controlled by using an Arduino microcontroller. The effect of the PED frequency on the coating quality was investigated over a frequency range from 150 Hz to 250 Hz. The quality of the coating was characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that the PED frequency had a significant effect on the coating coverage, crystallite size and chemical state of the surface coating. Furthermore, the XRD results show that the diffraction intensities of the (101), (102), and (103) lattice planes are affected by the PED frequency. The authors argue that the coating methodology used in this study and the examined concept are direct contributions to the science of metal coating.