Galvanic Corrosion of Zn/Steel Couple in Aqueous MgCl2

Galvanic corrosion tests of Zn/steel couples were conducted in 1 M NaCl and $1M\;MgCl_2$ solutions to investigate the impact of magnesium ion on corrosion behavior of the couples. Two types of Zn/steel couples were used for measurements of open circuit potential (OCP) and galvanic current. From the results of OCP transient of Zn/steel couples, the corrosion potential in $1M\;MgCl_2$ was a more positive value than that in 1 M NaCl during the sacrificial dissolution of Zn. However, earlier increase of OCP of the couples in $1M\;MgCl_2$ solution indicates that the sacrificial dissolution rate of Zn in $1M\;MgCl_2$ was enhanced more than that in 1 M NaCl, agreeing with the results on transients of galvanic current. This result is due to that cathodic reaction on the steel surface of the Zn/steel couple was enhanced in $1M\;MgCl_2$ by the occurrence of hydrogen evolution reaction.