RESEARCH ARTICLE Electrodeposition of zinc in the presence of quaternary ammonium compounds from alkaline chloride bath Jose ´ Luis Ortiz-Aparicio • Yunny Meas • Thomas W. Chapman • Gabriel Trejo • Rau ´l Ortega • Eric Chainet Received: 10 April 2014 / Accepted: 20 October 2014 / Published online: 6 November 2014 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 Abstract The effects of several quaternary ammonium compounds on electrodeposition of zinc onto AISI 1018 carbon steel were studied in an alkaline zincate electrolyte. Tetraethylammonium, tetrabutylammonium, N-benzyltri- ethylammonium and N-benzyl-3-carboxyl pyridinium cat- ions were examined. The electrochemical behavior and the inhibition of dendrite formation are related to the structure of the ammonium compounds. The presence of either long- chain aliphatic groups or aromatic groups, i.e., with tetra- butylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH) or N-benzyltrieth- ylammonium chloride (NBT) exerts a more effective inhibition of dendrite formation. N-benzyl-3-carboxylpyr- idinium (3NCP) and tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH) additives lead to slightly deformed deposit morphology. Crystallographic measurements of the zinc deposits revealed a highly oriented deposit formed in the presence of 3NCP, which favors the dense atomic packing basal plane (002). The presence of TEAOH diminishes slightly the peak of plane (002) and introduces some pyramidal (101) orientation. Addition of NBT or TBAOH favors the formation of low-atomic packing prismatic planes. Additives that increase the overpotential for Zn(II) reduction tend to promote the formation of high-energy low-atomic packing crystallographic planes. Comparison of the effects of these ammonium compounds indicates that the observed effects are related to the hydrophobic and steric interactions introduced to the interface by the size and structure of the ammonium compounds. Keywords Zinc  Electrodeposition  Additives  Quaternary ammonium compounds  Adsorption 1 Introduction Zn and Zn-iron-group alloy coatings are used because of their ability to delay corrosion of steel substrates [1, 2]. In plating formulations, the presence of organic molecules and inorganic species added in small amounts, called additives, exerts important effects on metal electrodepos- ition even at low concentrations. The additives modify the crystal growth habit and therefore the mechanical proper- ties, the corrosion resistance, and the appearance of coat- ings [3]. Additives used in many metal plating formulations are often classified as brighteners or levelers [1, 3] according to their capability to produce smooth, bright, leveled and fine-grained deposits. The effects of additives have been studied extensively because of their important influence on metal electrodeposition, but their mechanisms of action are still not clearly elucidated, still being matter of study [3, 4]. Some additives may inhibit or catalyze the electrodeposition process by forming complexes with metallic ions or increasing the polarization of metal elec- trodeposition due to their adsorption on active sites [4]. J. L. Ortiz-Aparicio  Y. Meas (&)  T. W. Chapman  G. Trejo  R. Ortega Centro de Investigacio ´n y Desarrollo Tecnolo ´gico en Electroquı ´mica, Parque Tecnolo ´gico Quere ´taro, Sanfandila, Co ´digo Postal 76703 Pedro Escobedo, Quere ´taro, Mexico e-mail: yunnymeas@cideteq.mx Present Address: J. L. Ortiz-Aparicio Centro Nacional de Metrologı ´a, Carretera a los Cue ´s, Km 4.5, C.P. 75246 El Marque ´s, Quere ´taro, Mexico E. Chainet Laboratoire d’Electrochimie et Physico-chimie des Mate ´riaux et Interfaces, UMR 5631 CNRS-Grenoble, Insitut National Polytechnique-Universite ´ Joseph Fourier (INP-UJF, PHELMA) BP75, 38402 Saint Martin d’He `res, France 123 J Appl Electrochem (2015) 45:67–78 DOI 10.1007/s10800-014-0777-9