EIS study of nano crystalline Ni-cerium oxide coating electrodeposition mechanism

Research highlights: → In this study a new procedure was used for electrodeposition of Ni-cerium oxide amorphous-nano crystalline composite coatings. The innovation of this method is that the metal and oxides are deposited simultaneously on the samples from the plating bath solution containing Ni ions and Ce ions with no powder added. - Abstract: In this study a novel procedure was used for the electrodeposition of Ni-cerium oxide nano crystalline composite coatings. The novelty of this method lies in the fact that the metal and the oxide are both deposited simultaneously on the substrate, directly from the plating bath containing Ni and Ce ions with no oxide powder addition. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to study the mechanisms of Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite coating deposition. The results indicated that the morphology of Ni-cerium oxide coatings varied based on the Ni:Ce ion ratio. When this ratio exceeds 100, sporadic distribution of cerium oxide in the Ni matrix occurred. On the other hand, when the aforementioned ratio was less than 100, it was found that Ni species were dispersed in a continuous film of cerium oxide. Furthermore, it was observed that Ni in Ni-cerium oxide composite coating was nanocrystalline, while cerium oxide was amorphous. Introduction of the cerium ions to the plating bath resulted in the reduction of the Ni grains average size.