Zinc sacrificial anodes with excellent merits are widely used in the marine cathodic protection of steelstructures being suffered marine biofoulings. It is important to study the property of zinc anodes inmarine fouling environment. However, it is very difficult to study the effect of macro-fouling on thecorrosion of zinc anodes in the real ocean environment, and it is also almost impossible for the peopleto do this by culturing the macro-fouling in lab. In this work, the corrosion behaviour and performanceof zinc anode in simulated marine fouling environment was discussed using electrochemicalimpedance spectroscopy, self-discharge, scanning electron microscopy and simulating methods. Theresults indicated that marine foulings on the surface had some protective effect on the anti-corrosionperformance of anodes in the early attachment stage of fouling organisms. The corrosion rate of zincanode was decreased sharply at the first attachment stage of the fouling organisms. The zinc sacrificialanode still possesses high current efficiency though covered with biofoulings, but its potential variesdramatically in simulated biofouling environment. Surface analysis revealed that localised corrosionoccurred on the surface of zinc sacrificial anodes coated with the powder of barnacles and oysters. Theexperiment result shows that it is very useful and simple for us to study the effect of macro-fouling onthe corrosion of zinc anodes in lab by simulating the coating of the powder of barnacles and oysters,which is consistent with the actual marine results.
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