Photo-assisted electrodeposition of NiMoZn on hematite nanostructures and their photoelectrochemical application as photoanode for corrosion protection of stainless steel

In this study, hematite nanostructures (HN) were prepared on iron plates through anodization method, followed by the deposition of NiMoZn on the nanostructures by photo assisted electrodeposition method to produce NiMoZn/HN electrodes. The deposition time greatly effects on the photoeletrochemical performance of prepared photoelectrodes. In comparison with the bare hematite, the photocurrent density of NiMoZn/HN electrode was enhanced up to 5 times. In addition, the photocathodic protection characteristics of the NiMoZn/HN were evaluated by measuring the photo induced open circuit potential (OCP) and Tafel curves under light. The results showed that the photocurrent density of NiMoZn/HN samples increased from 0.11 to 0.51 mA cm(-2) compared with the bare hematite sample. In addition, the photo induced OCP of the best NiMoZn/HN photoanode was decreased by about - 620 mV vs. Ag/AgCl with regards to photocathodic protection application. The results indicate that the NiMoZn photo-electrodeposition on the hematite photoelectrodes is a facile and efficient method for the protection of stainless steel from corrosion. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that the NiMoZn/HN electrode shows significantly enhanced photocurrent density and effective protection for stainless steel. Under light conditions, the relative photo-induced OCP of NiMoZn/HN samples decreases noticeably.