CORROSION KINETICS OF BATTERY ZINC-ALLOYS IN ELECTROLYTE-SOLUTIONS

Corrosion of sheet samples of zinc alloys and zinc of 99.995% purity h as been studied in alkaline and weakly acid chloride electrolytes solu tions. The samples were subjected to the initial surface treatment, me chanical or chemical, and the rate of their corrosion in electrolyte s olutions with no access to oxygen was measured over the span of 30 day s by monitoring the volume of evolved hydrogen. Structural properties of the surface layers of zinc samples were studied using X-ray diffrac tion technique. The corrosion kinetics of zinc in various media is rel ated to zinc alloy composition, state of the sample surface, as well a s to the effect of organic inhibiting agents added to the electrolyte solutions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.