Study of the Corrosion Resistance of Ni/CeO2 Composite Coatings Electrodeposited on Carbon Steel in Hydrochloric Acid

The phase formation of Ni-Ce composites onto a carbon steel electrode was investigated using electrochemical deposition. The anticorrosive properties of composite coating in 0.1 mol L HCl solution were studied by Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Incorporation of CeO2 particles into the Ni matrices was found to improve corrosion resistance of pure Ni coatings. The values of protection efficiency obtained from Tafel polarization and EIS measurements are in good agreement, reaching a maximum value of 57 %, at 0.1 g L CeO2 containing electro-deposition bath. The surface morphologies and compositions of coatings were studied using scanning electron microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). In case of electro-depositions from solution containing CeO2 (Fig. 3c) the layer uniformity is more apparent and the feature of a metalic nucleation, forming a matrix in which are embedded certain oxide particle is relatively nuanced.