Electrodeposition of nanocrystalline zinc from acidic sulfate solutions containing thiourea and benzalacetone as additives

Nanocrystalline zinc coatings were produced by pulse electrodeposition in acid sulfate bath containing thiourea and benzalacetone additives and characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The influence of benzalacetone concentration and pulse peak current density on the grain size and crystallographic orientation of zinc deposits was investigated. Zinc electrodeposited from additive-free solutions or with one of the two additives is not composed of nanosized crystals. The mixture additives of thiourea and benzalacetone give rise to the formation of particle-like nanocrystalline zinc with a (10(1) over bar1) random orientation. A change in peak current density from 2 to 1 A/cm(2) only increases the grain size from 60 to 62 nm.