Electrodeposition of polyfunctional Ni coatings from deep eutectic solvent based on choline chloride and lactic acid: Original scientific paper

The process of electrodeposition of nickel coatings from electrolytes based on a deep eutectic solvent (DES) mixture of choline chloride and lactic acid with a molar ratio of 1:3 was studied. The physicochemical properties and characteristics of DES, namely, con­ductivity, FT-IR and NMR analysis were determined. FT-IR results confirmed that H-bonds occurring between two components in DES were the main force leading to the eutectic formation. Electrochemical techniques were used to characterize the deposition process and scanning electron microscopy was used to study the deposit morphology. Based on polarization measurements, it has been found that at NiCl2·6H2O content of 1.14 M and a temperature of 75 °C, the limiting current density of nickel electrodeposition was near 2 A dm-2. The polarization of the cathodic nickel deposition varied within -0.63 to 1.1 V at current density of 0.25 A dm-2 It has been shown that an increase of water content in the electrolyte does not significantly affect the current efficiency of the nickel electrodeposition process, which was in a range 85-93 %. However, the increase in water content contributes to the increase of heterogeneity and crystal grains size distribution of galvanic deposits. The established values of the Wagner number indicate the predominance of the primary current density distribution in the process of electrodeposition of nickel coatings. Galvanic coatings possess a highly developed nanostructured surface, exhibit increased capillary properties, and can be used as electrode materials for the process of electrolysis of water.