The possible increased effect a pulsed current will have on the corrodibility of metals was first looked at by de la Rive in 1837. It was investigated around 60 years later by Coehn regarding the effect of a current with a rectangular waveform, on the plating of zinc deposits, resulting in a successful application for a patent.  A full review on using PDC electrolysis in electroplating, also known as electrodeposition or pulse plating, was only published in 1954 by Baeyens, this being the first area of research into the use of pulse electrolysis in industry.
A pulsed current can be varied in many ways that increases the possible outcomes and can vary the properties of deposited metals during electroplating. Hansel and Roy, in their review of the third European Pulse Plating Seminar,  concluded that each deposition system must have a unique sequence developed in order to optimise the process and gain the desired results, opposing the inability of traditional plating to be as freely tailored to a situation. The nucleation and crystallisation of the deposition metal is directly affected and can have favourable or unfavourable circumstances if specific conditions are not met. It is reported that pulse plating can encourage nucleation causing grain refinement, and reducing grain size, as well as increasing the deposit density that can improve micro hardness.
These effects were first researched on zinc by Coehn. It was discovered a pulsed current at a high frequency can produce deposits of higher quality, with properties ranging from a smoother finish by the reduction in grain size, as well as lowering its corrosion rate. This is beneficial as it is mainly used as a sacrificial anode in industry.