Effect of substrate grain size on structural and corrosion properties of electrodeposited nickel layer protected with self-assembled film of stearic acid

In the present study, the impact of copper substrate grain size on the structure of the succeeding electrodeposited nickel film and its consequent corrosion resistance in 3.5% NaCl medium were evaluated before and after functionalization with stearic acid. Nickel layers were electrodeposited on two different copper sheets with average grain size of 12 and 25 μm, followed by deposition of stearic acid film through self-assembly. X-ray diffraction analysis of the electrodeposited nickel films revealed that the deposition of nickel film on the Cu substrate with small (12 μm) and large (25 μm) grains is predominantly governed by growth in the (220) and (111) planes, respectively. Both electrodeposited films initially exhibited a hydrophilic nature, with water-contact angles of 56° and <10°, respectively. After functionalization with stearic acid, superhydrophobic films with contact angles of ~150° were obtained on both samples. In a 3.5% NaCl medium, the corrosion resistance of the nickel layer electrodeposited on the copper substrate with 25 μm grains was three times greater than that deposited on the copper substrate with 12 μm grains. After functionalization, the corrosion resistance of both films was greatly improved in both short and long immersion times in 3.5% NaCl medium.