Electrochemical deposition of Al–Mg alloys on tungsten wires from AlCl3–NaCl–KCl melts

• The method of electrochemical deposition is used to prepare Al–Mg alloys on tungsten wires.
• AlCl3–NaCl–KCl melts as a non-aqueous electrolyte is used in electrochemical deposition.
• The effects of deposition voltage and molten salt temperature on the surface morphology and magnesium content of the Al–Mg deposits are studied.
• Al–Mg alloys with 9.14 at.% Mg are obtained.

This paper studies the electrochemical method that obtains the Al–Mg alloys on tungsten wires from AlCl3–NaCl–KCl melts containing a mass fraction of 3% MgCl2. Electrochemical experiments are performed with a three electrode system. Linear sweep voltammetry is used to determine the electrodeposition potential of Al–Mg alloys in molten salts. X-ray diffraction is employed to examine the crystallographic structure of Al–Mg alloy electrodeposits. Results show that the Al–Mg alloy coating consists of an Al (Mg) solid solution and the amorphous phase. The effects of the electrodeposition potential and temperature on the morphology of Al–Mg electrodeposits are demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy.