Al-Cd Alloy Formation by Aluminum Underpotential Deposition from AlCl3+NaCl Melts on Cadmium Substrate

Aluminum was incorporated into a polycrystalline cadmium electrode surface by underpotential deposition from equimolar AlCl 3 + NaCl melt at 473 K, 523 K, and 573 K (200 °C, 250 °C, and 300 °C). The process was studied by linear sweep voltammetry and potentiostatic deposition/galvanostatic striping. The deposits were characterized X-ray diffraction (XRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). The electrochemical measurements showed evidence of Cd-Al alloys being formed but they could not be identified. The growth kinetics of the Cd-Al layers of various proportion and depths that depended on temperature and deposition time were described.