Controllable phase transformation and improved thermal stability of nickel on tungsten substrate by electrodeposition

Present study reports a controllable phase transformation of nickel (Ni) from amorphous to cubic crystal structures on tungsten (W) substrate by electrodeposition. X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to characterize the microstructure, micro-constituents and surface morphology of as-prepared Ni. The microstructure of Ni was strongly affected by the applied overpotential and deposition time. It is demonstrated that by controlling these two parameters either amorphous or cubic crystal structure of Ni on the W substrate could be obtained. The crystallization mechanism is discussed based on Gibbs crystal growth theory and Ostwald’s rule. It is concluded that W substrate, acting as a heat sink, can effectively promote the thermal stability of amorphous Ni, based on the data from differential scanning calorimetry and Kissinger’s model. This work contributes to the elucidation of the crystallization mechanism of Ni on W powder substrates, and proves that, better than alloying with other elements, incorporating powder substrates will significantly improve the crystallization temperature, hence the thermostability of amorphous Ni.