Electrodeposited white bronzes on brass: Corrosion in 3.5 % sodium chloride solution

Abstract

White bronzes are electrodeposited coatings applied on brass as surface finishes. We report a comparative study on the corrosion resistance in chloride aqueous environment of two white bronzes, a Zn-bearing and a Zn-free. Corrosion tests showed that both materials provide protection to brass, but the Zn-free is more cathodic and performs better in the test environment, following a different corrosion mechanism. We also explored the effect of the coating thickness on the corrosion parameters. We found that the more cathodic OCPs were achieved with coatings exceeding 1 μm, while the 0.5 μm coatings show OCPs closer to the brass substrate.