heat treatment of pulsed electroplated nickel deposited on aa2024 aluminum

In this study, pure nickel was deposited on aa2024 aluminum via pulsed electrodeposition using two duty cycles (25 % and 50 %) at two different frequencies (50 and 100 hz). the coated specimens were then heat-treated in an argon atmosphere at 500 °c for one hour. the treated specimens were characterized using optical microscope (om), scanning electron microscope (sem) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer (eds), and x-ray diffraction (xrd) analysis. according to the results, the coatings were thickened upon increasing the duty cycle and frequency. heat treatment of the nickel-coated specimen under the duty cycle of 25 % and frequency of 50 hz experienced formation of al3ni intermetallic compound at the interface of the nickel coating and aluminum-based substrate. heat treatment adversely affected the corrosion resistance of the nickel-coated specimens. nevertheless, the specimens with al3ni intermetallic compound at their interface demonstrated better corrosion resistance among heat-treated materials.