Structure and properties of electrocodeposited Cu–CeO2 nanocomposite thin films

Electrocodeposition of ceria particles along with copper from acidic electrolytes has been achieved by using pulse plating technique. The ceria particles are synthesized by the aqueous combustion synthesis route with glycine as the fuel and ceric ammonium nitrate as the oxidizer. The nanocomposite thin films have been characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. The microhardness of the composites is evaluated and compared with that of pure copper deposited under the same conditions. The microhardness of the copper matrix is enhanced from 0.67 to 1.45 GPa due to the presence of reinforcement. The volume fraction of the reinforcement is estimated to be 7–10% and particles are uniformly distributed in the copper matrix.