Characterization of electrodeposited nickel coatings from sulphamate electrolyte without additive

In this paper, the influence of deposition current density on microstructure and purity of nickel coatings was studied. Complementary characterization methods (SEM, TEM, XRD, EBSD, GDOES and SIMS) were used to investigate different scales of the microstructure and to understand the metallurgical states of the coatings. As deposition current density decreases, grain refinement and texture modifications are observed which are linked with the grain boundary character (disorientation angle and Coincidence Site Lattice). Moreover, in sulphamate bath without additive, the contamination by light elements and metallic impurities strongly depends on deposition parameters and must be taken into account to discuss the microstructure changes.