Identification of Intermetallic Phases Present in Ti-Added Zinc Coating by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Modeling the structure not only of whole metal products, but also of the protective coatings with which they are coated, brings a number of economic benefits through more resistant coatings and coatings that can be produced by simplifying manufacturing technology or reducing material consumption in the process. This paper presents the results of a study of dip metallization in zinc baths with Ti additions. Both steel and cast iron substrates were coated and similar results were obtained. The obtained coatings were subjected to SEM analysis with chemical composition studies, TEM characterization with selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and corrosion studies. Particle models of the elementary phases present in the zinc coating made with CaRine 3.0 software were presented and used for phase analysis. It emerged that coatings obtained in zinc baths with the addition of Ti are characterized by a more varied microstructure, the occurrence of phase separations to which Ti segregates, and higher corrosion resistance than classical zinc coatings. The higher corrosion resistance is prompted not only by the Ti content in the intermetallic phases, but also by the observed nanostructure favorably located in the alloy layer.