Influence of metallurgical parameters on the electrochemical behavior of electrodeposited Ni and Ni–W nanocrystalline alloys

Highlights: • Corrosion behavior of nickel and Ni–W coatings is studied in an acidic medium. • W addition implies grain refinement and other metallurgical parameters variation. • Annealing permitted to separate the W content influence from the grain size. • The W incorporation has an unfavorable effect on the passive film stability. - Abstract: The electrochemical behavior of electrodeposited nickel and Ni–W nanostructured alloys is discussed by studying the polarization curves in acidic medium. As tungsten content varies, several metallurgical parameters that can influence the electrochemical behavior are also modified, namely grain size, nature of grain boundaries, crystallographic texture and light element contamination. Comparing the behavior of Ni–W coatings with that of pure nickel and annealed coatings highlights that tungsten incorporation enhances anodic dissolution and has a detrimental influence on passive film, whereas grain size and grain boundary character behave as second-order parameters.