*2.1. Zn Coatings Using the Screen Printing Technique*

Additionally, 30 g of zinc micro-powder (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) was dispersed in an organic vehicle composed of 6 g of α-terpineol (Acros Organics, Morris Plains, NJ, USA) and 4 g of 10% weight ethyl cellulose (Sigma Aldrich) in ethanol. The mixture was mixed and grinded by a mortar-pestle for 30 min, which was followed by vigorous magnetic stirring for another 30 min. The mixture was homogenized using a rod homogenizer for 30 to 40 min. The resulting paste was deposited on each metallic disc using a screen printing technique [25]. The screen-printing process was performed using a polyester screen mesh of 32T mesh count (80 mesh/inch), 100 μm thread diameter, and a 210 μm mesh opening. The coating process was optimized to produce a thickness of 10 μm on each surface.
