Corrosion behavior of electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni-Ag alloy coatings on Cu-substrate: The effect of the Ag content

• Published in: Colloids and surfaces. A, Physicochemical and engineering aspects Vol. 722; p. 137323
• Main Authors: Chauhan, Banti, Singh, Ankit Dev, Sengupta, Srijan, Nadakuduru, Vijay Navaratna, Mundotiya, Brij Mohan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 05.10.2025
• Subjects: Corrosion Current density; Corrosion resistance; Electrodeposition; Ni-Ag alloy coatings; Polarization resistance; Corrosion resistance; Electrodeposition; Polarization resistance; Ni-Ag alloy coatings; Corrosion Current density
• ISSN: 0927-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.137323

Ni-Ag alloy coatings are recognized for their high corrosion resistance, antibacterial characteristics, and anti-friction properties, rendering them a subject of considerable attention. In this work, Ni-Ag alloy coatings were deposited using an aqueous electrolyte solution with varying concentrations of silver nitrate at a constant current density of 30 mA/cm2. The deposited coatings exhibited Ni5wt%Ag, Ni10wt%Ag, Ni15 wt%Ag, and Ni20wt%Ag compositions by increasing the silver nitrate concentration. Results show a change in morphology from granular to smoother with surface defects such as pits above the 5 wt% of Ag. The deposited Ni-Ag alloy coatings exhibited excellent corrosion resistance than the Cu-substrate. Among them, the Ni5wt%Ag demonstrated the lowest corrosion current density (jcorr = 0.67 μA·cm−2), highest polarization resistance (Rp = 20,788 Ω·cm2), and highest adhesion strength with Cu-substrate. The Ni5wt%Ag coating provided the highest protection efficiency (≈ 93.5 %) to the Cu-substrate. These findings suggest that Ni-Ag alloy coatings, particularly Ni5wt%Ag, can potentially improve the service life of copper components in corrosive environments. [Display omitted]