Electrodeposition and electrocatalytic performance of Ni-Co alloy

Fig. 1: Customized tubular three electrode cell with provision to collect liberated O2/H2 on electrode surface

The electrodeposition of Ni-Co alloy coatings on pure copper has been carried out at different current densities (c.d.) from an aqueous sulphate bath at room temperature. The effects of c.d. on deposit characters such as composition, hardness and thickness have been studied. The electrodeposited Ni-Co coatings were tested for their electro-catalytic behaviors, namely for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 6M KOH by cyclic voltammetry and chrono-potentiometry techniques. The surface morphology and phase structure of the deposit corresponding to different c.d.s were studied using, respectively FEGSEM and XRD study. The chrono-potentiometry study revealed that Ni-Co alloy coating deposited at 4.0 Adm-2 is more electro active for HER and that deposited at 1.0 Adm-2 is more electro-active for OER. Hence, Ni-Co alloy coatings deposited at 4.0 Adm-2 and 1.0 Adm-2 can be used as efficient electrode materials for, respectively HER and OER reactions finds applications in fuel cells as demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chrono-potentiometry experiments. The characteristic electro catalytic behaviour of the coatings for HER and OER are attributed to the inherent phase structure, composition, specific surface area and porosity of the coated materials under test, determined by the cathode current density at which they are deposited, supported by FEGSEM and XRD study.


    

Electrofabrication of Composition Modulated Multilayer Alloy (CMMA) of Co-Ni for Better Corrosion Protection

Electrofabrication of multilayer Co-Ni alloy coatings were accomplished successfully on mild steel (MS) for better corrosion protection. Multilayer comprised of alternatively formed ‘nano-size’ layers of Co-Ni alloy of different composition have been produced from single electrolyte having Co+2 and Ni+2 ions using modulated (i.e. periodic pulse control) current density. The deposition conditions were optimized for both composition and thickness of individual layers for best performance against corrosion. The process and product of depositions were analyzed using cyclic voltammetry and SEM, PXRD, Hardness Tester, electrochemical AC and DC methods, respectively. The corrosion behavior of multilayer coatings was found to be improved drastically when the thickness of individual layer approached nano regime. The coating having 300 layers, deposited at cyclic cathodic current densities of 2.0 and 4.0 Adm-2 was found to show the least corrosion rate (CR = 0.02 mmpy) compared to monolayer (Co-Ni)4 alloy coating (CR = 2.8 mmpy) deposited from the same bath for same deposition time. Drastic improvement in the corrosion performance of multilayer coatings were explained in the light of changed kinetics of mass transfer at cathode and increased surface area due to layering, respectively.


    

Electrochemical deposition and characterization of nanocrystalline Fe-Ni coatings

Fig.1: Variation of metal contents in the deposit with applied c.d.

Nanocrystalline Fe-Ni coatings were electrodeposited on mild steel (MS) panels at different current densities (c.d.) from an acid sulphate electrolyte. The operating parameters were optimized for best appearance and performance of the coatings. Different techniques like Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDXA), X-Ray Diffraction, potentiodynamic polarization scan and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to characterize the electrodeposited thin films. The electrodeposition process was found to be anomalous with 35% to 70% Fe, depending on the current densities (c.d.) employed for deposition. The properties of all coatings were found to show close dependency with c.d., phase structure and composition of the alloys. Corrosion behaviors were studied in 5% HCl and 5% KOH medium and corrosion parameters were reported. Experimental results are discussed by relating the composition, phase structure and grain size with corrosion performance of the coatings in both acid and alkaline medium.