Electrochemical deposition of Ni‐based thin film cermets using polymeric additives

Abstract

This paper presents the synthesis and characterisation of Ni/NiOx cermets obtained via electrochemical deposition. Electrolytic baths based on nickel chloride were tested and the influence of the nickel precursor type and concentration, pH, ionic strength and additives was discussed. The optimal electrochemical deposition parameters were obtained in voltammetry studies. The AFM images were used for morphology characterisation, X‐Ray Diffraction (XRD) for structural analysis and respectively UV‐VIS‐IR spectroscopy for the optical measurements. Structural analyses have shown that the films consist mainly of crystalline Ni and amorphous oxidic nickel structures. To control the sample morphology, copolymers of maleic anhydride (vinyl acetate/methyl methacrylate) were added in the electrolytic bath. The use of hydrophilic polymer leads to better results in terms of optical properties and morphology of the electrodeposited films. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)