Electrolytic production of magnesium coatings

Magnesium, its compounds, and alloys arise recently the heightened interest among scientists all over the world. The interest in magnesium research is caused by its combination of many promising properties that find practical application in various sectors of the national economy. On an industrial scale, the bulk of magnesium is produced by the electrolysis from the melt. However, there is a problem with the environmental security of this process. This method is environmentally unfriendly since it is accompanied by the release of hazardous chlorine and organochlorine compounds into the environment. In some cases, the electrodeposition from solutions may serve as an alternative. The task to produce magnesium and magnesium-containing coatings using electrodeposition from solutions was already raised, but it is not yet possible to obtain a stable electrolyte that allows obtaining high-quality coatings. The authors propose an electrolyte in which isopropyl alcohol is used as a solvent. Magnesium-containing coatings were produced by electrodeposition on a conductive base. The authors prepared an electrolyte based on anhydrous magnesium sulfate. To increase the conductivity of the electrolyte, sodium, potassium, and calcium chlorides in different concentrations were added to the solution. The authors carried out the experimental studies of the effect of the electrolyte composition and electrodeposition modes on the morphology and elemental composition of magnesium-containing coatings. Electron microscopic studies and the studies of the elemental composition of samples by the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer show that the non-stationary (two-step) electrodeposition mode is the optimal one for producing magnesium coatings with a fine crystalline structure, low porosity, and high magnesium content.