Study on Al-Zn-In Alloy as Sacrificial Anodes in Seawater Environment

Electrochemical properties including conventional electrochemical properties: open circuit potential, polarization potential, electrochemical capacity, morphology of surface dissolution, and the initial polarization properties of Al-Zn-In-Mg-Ti and Al-Zn-In-Si sacrificial anodes are investigated in the sea. The curves of anode output current and work potential with time, the impact of area ratio of cathode to anode on anode output current is discussed, and the initial polarization properties are investigated with cyclic voltammetry (CV) finally. The results show that for the two anodes, the current efficiency got in the sea environment is higher than the data of the 4-day-accelerated test in laboratory and the corrosion morphology is more uniform in the sea. With the same exposed area, the current efficiency of Al-Zn-In-Mg-Ti anode is higher than that of Al-Zn-In-Si in the sea. For both anodes, the current efficiency becomes larger with the increase of the area ratio of cathode to anode. The two anodes can output larger current in strong polarization state. The situation is consistent with the results that small area anode released higher current in the sea trial. The difference rests with that Al-Zn-In-Mg-Ti anode output far greater current than that of the Al-Zn-In-Si under the same polarization potential. The initial polarization property of the Al-Zn-In-Mg-Ti anode is better than Al-Zn-In-Si anode.