Electrodeposition of nanocrystalline nickel by using rotating cylindrical electrodes

In this research, nanocrystalline nickel (14–25 nm) was electrodeposited on rotating cylindrical electrodes in a modified Watts bath. Saccharin was used as a grain refiner. The effect of cathode rotation speed and saccharin concentration on the grain size was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The preferred orientation of deposits progressively changed from a (2 2 0), (2 0 0), and (1 1 1) fiber texture for a saccharin free bath to a (1 1 1) and (2 0 0) double fiber texture for a bath containing 5 g l−1 saccharin. Cathode rotation enhanced the intensity of (1 1 1) peak relative to (1 0 0). The effect of cathode rotation speed, current density, and saccharin concentration on the coating microhardness was investigated. The maximum recorded hardness was 620 HV for 14 nm grain size. The effect of current density and saccharin concentration on morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The current efficiency changes were studied as a result of saccharin concentration.