P. Gyftou, S. Spanou, A. Gialamopoulou, E.A. Pavlatou
9th European Symposium on Electrochemical Engineering (9th ESEE) (2011), Chania-Greece, June 20-24, (CD-rom) (oral)
Nickel electrodeposits were produced from a Watts type bath with the addition of cis 2-butene-1,4-diol and application of pulse current conditions. The surface morphology, the preferred orientation and grain size of Ni coatings were determined as a function of the concentration of the additive in bath and the frequency of imposed current pulses. The microhardness of the coatings was also assessed from the viewpoint of crystal orientation, grain size, presence and concentration of additive and type of imposed current. The results indicate that the effect of the additive on the properties of the coatings is accelerated in the case of pulse plating mode. The combined imposition of predefined pulse current conditions and additive concentration in the bath leads to specific textural modifications accompanied by considerable nano-sized grain refinement of the coatings. The overall experimental data indicate that the production of hard and bright nanostructured deposits could be obtained under pulse current regime and reduced amounts of cis 2-butene-1,4-diol compared to direct plating.