Effect of organic impurities on the morphology and crystallographic texture of zinc electrodeposits

This work describes the effect of some organic impurities on the quality of zinc deposits and on the efficiency of the electrowinning process. The presence of some organics (i.e., flotation collectors, flocculant and lubricating oil) in the sulfate electrolyte was shown to significantly decrease current efficiency, thereby increasing energy consumption. Microscopic and texture analyses revealed that the individual addition of these organics to the electrolyte leads to the formation of pores on the deposits, variations in their grain size, and orientation changes resulting in crystallographic randomization with a trend to reorient the crystals from a “perpendicular to the plane” to an “in plane” random distribution. The Zn electrodeposit's features are expected to affect mechanical properties and, in turn, the effectiveness of the stripping operation.Fil: Majuste, D.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil. National Institute of Science and Technology on Mineral Resources, Water and Biodiversity; BrasilFil: Bubani, F. C.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Bolmaro, Raul Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Instituto de Física de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Martins, E. L. C.. Votorantim Metais - Zinc; BrasilFil: Cetlin, P. R.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Ciminelli, V. S. T.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil. National Institute of Science and Technology on Mineral Resources, Water and Biodiversity; Brasi