Improved surface morphology and corrosion resistance for galvannealed coatings by pre-electroplating iron

Abstract Dual-phase steel was electroplated with Fe prior to reduction annealing to improve surface quality and corrosion characteristics after galvannealing. This pre-electroplating process caused remarkable reduction in surface cracks and induced δ-phase formation over the surface of the galvannealed coating. Moreover, the degree of Fe–Zn alloying significantly increased, resulting in a thicker coating. Consequently, the corrosion potential increased and corrosion current decreased in the highly polarized anodic reaction. Further, spontaneous passivation occurred, resulting in a very low corrosion rate.