Effect of Electro Deposition Parameters on Thickness and Fe Contents of Nickel-Iron Foam Alloys

An Ni-Fe alloy on the surface of nickel foam was prepared by electro deposition. The effects of technological parameters including current density, pH value, temperature and the ratio of [Ni2+] to [Fe2+] of planting solution on the thickness and iron content of the alloy coating were studied. The cross-section microstructure and surface morphologies were observed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscope, and the compositions of the alloy coating were analyzed by energy dispersive spectrometer and ICP-AES. Experiment results show that the thickness of the alloy coating is increased with increasing current density, temperature, pH value and the ratio of [Ni2+] to [Fe2+] of the planting solution. The Fe contents of the alloy coating is increased with increasing current density and pH value of the planting solution, and decreased with increasing temperature and the ratio of [Ni2+] to [Fe2+] of the planting solution. A 36.2 μm thick alloy layer of uniform and dense coating with the Fe content of 60.5 wt% is obtained under the parameters ofn(Ni2+)/n(Fe2+)= 4, current density = 10 A/dm2and pH = 4.2 at 50 °C for one hour.