Cu/Ni/Au multilayers by electrochemistry: A crucial system in electronics - A critical review

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Single-step electrodeposition of superhydrophobic black NiO thin films

International audienceBlack finished surfaces have extensive applications in many domains, such as optics, solar cells, and aerospace. The single step electrodeposition of superhydrophobic black NiO films from a dimethyl sulfoxide based electrolyte is described in this paper. The physicochemical properties of the obtained film were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and electrochemical tests (Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization). A rough surface with a low reflection of light was formed after the deposition process that increased the contact angle of water from about 87º (for bare Cu) to 163º (in presence of the black coating), which improved the corrosion resistance of the Cu substrate by about 30%. The formed black NiO film revealed a notably high stability and kept its appearance even after corrosion tests

Development and tribological characterisation of nanostructured Zn-Ni and Zn-Co coatings: a comparative study

International audienceZn-Ni and Zn-Co alloy coatings were electrodeposited on mild steel from sulphate-based baths. The morphology, microstructure, microhardness and tribological behaviours of the coatings have been studied and discussed. While the Zn-5wt-% Co layers presented a nanocrystalline simple nodular structure (45 ± 5 nm), the Zn-14wt-% Ni showed a particular structure called cauliflower morphology (30 ± 7 nm). The X-ray diffraction analysis showed that each of the electrodeposits was formed from zinc solid solution with a uniform zinc-cobalt intermetallic phase γ 2 (CoZn 13) for Zn-5wt-% Co alloy. However, a single γ-phase (intermetallic compound Ni 5 Zn 21) was presented for the Zn-14wt-% Ni alloys. The Zn-14wt-% Ni films were found to be harder and rougher than the Zn-5wt-% Co layers. Plastic deformation and oxide layers production were the main wear mechanisms for the investigated coatings. The Zn-14wt-% Ni coatings were found to have the best wear resistance due to their microhardness and particular structure. ARTICLE HISTOR

Voltammetric determination of ascorbic acid with zinc oxide modified glassy carbon electrode

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Sorption Properties of Chitosan in the Refining of Rough Indium

The degree of purity of cathode deposits during the electrochemical refining of rough indium depends on the content of impurity metals in the electrolyte. In this work, an additional sorption purification of the refining electrolyte was carried out in order to reduce the content of such impurity metals as cadmium, lead, copper. Chitosan was used as a sorbent due to high sorption properties with respect to heavy metal ions. The determination of the concentration of the studied metals before and after the sorption was carried out by the method of differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). The experimental results allowed to calculate the amount of metal sorbed by chitosan and the efficiency of its removal. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms and isotherm constants were determined. The Langmuir model agrees very well with experimental data. An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) method was used to determine the presence of impurity metals and the degree of purity of electrorefined indium. The use of chitosan as a sorbent in the purification of rough indium allows to reduce the concentration of impurity metals in cathode deposits and to increase the content of the base metal to 99.9994%

Optical and Electrochemical Properties of Self-Organized TiO2 Nanotube Arrays From Anodized Ti−6Al−4V Alloy

Due to their high specific surface area and advanced properties, TiO2 nanotubes (TiO2 NTs) have a great significance for production and storage of energy. In this paper, TiO2 NTs were synthesized from anodization of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at 60 V for 3 h in fluoride ethylene glycol electrolyte by varying the water content and further annealing treatment. The morphological, structural, optical and electrochemical performances of TiO2 NTs were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy and electrochemical characterization techniques. By varying the water content in the solution, a honeycomb and porous structure was obtained at low water content and the presence of (α + β) phase in Ti-6Al-4V alloy caused not uniform etching. With an additional increase in water content, a nanotubular structure is formed in the (α + β) phases with different morphological parameters. The anatase TiO2 NTs synthesized with 20 wt% H2O shows an improvement in absorption band that extends into the visible region due the presence of vanadium oxide in the structure and the effective band gap energy (Eg) value of 2.25 eV. The TiO2 NTs electrode also shows a good cycling performance, delivering a reversible capacity of 82 mAh.g−1 (34 μAh.cm−2.μm−1) at 1C rate over 50 cycles

Influence of composition, bonding characteristics and microstructure on the electrochemical and optical stability of AlOxNy thin films

Thin films of AlOxNy were deposited by magnetron sputtering in a wide composition range. Different structures and morphologies were observed, depending on the composition and bonding states, which opened the possibility to tailor the properties of this oxynitride system between those of pure Al and those of nitride and oxide films. In a wide range of stoichiometries, one can report the formation of nanocomposite porous films, where Al nanoparticles are dispersed in an amorphous matrix of AlOxNy. The electrochemical behaviour of the films was studied in isotonic NaCl solution. It was observed that the pitting 2 potential characteristic of aluminium disappears with the incorporation of oxygen and nitrogen in the films, being replaced by a smooth current increase. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy performed during 35 days showed that the corrosion resistance of the films steadily increases. The unusual optical reflectance profile of some films is maintained after immersion for several months.Fundação para a Ciência e a TecnologiaPrograma Pessoa 2010/2011, Cooperação Portugal/França, Proc.º 441.00, Project“COLOURCLUSTER”

Fabrication and Characterization of a Ruthenium Nitride Membrane for Electrochemical pH Sensors

The pH sensing and nonideal characteristics of a ruthenium nitride (RuN) sensing membrane pH sensor were investigated. RuN thin films were deposited from a 99.9% ruthenium target on p-type silicon substrates using radio frequency (r.f.) sputtering with N2 gas. Subsequently, the nanometric structure and surface morphology of RuN thin films were determined. The sensitivity of the RuN sensing membrane pH sensor was 58.03 mV/pH, obtained from ID-VG curves with a current-voltage (I–V) measurement system in standard buffer solutions from pH 1 to pH 13 at room temperature (25 °C). Moreover, the nonideal characteristics of the RuN sensing membrane, such as temperature coefficient, drift with light influence, drift rate and hysteresis width, etc. were also investigated. Finally, the sensing characteristics of the RuN membrane were compared with titanium nitride (TiN), aluminum nitride (AlN) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) membranes