Aluminum Co-Deposition via DC Magnetron Sputtering for Enhanced Pitting Resistance of Copper–Nickel Alloys

Abstract

To investigate the improvements in the resistance of Cu–Ni alloys to surface pitting corrosion, Cu–Ni thin films containing Al were fabricated via DC magnetron sputtering. The morphologies of the fabricated samples were obtained using a scanning electron microscopy, which yielded information on the crystal size and sample surface before and after corrosion tests. X-ray diffraction was employed for the structural characterization of the as-deposited films, and vibrational spectroscopy was used to verify the corrosion products. The corrosion behaviors of the Cu–Ni and Cu–Ni–Al samples were examined using electrochemical polarization and cyclic corrosion tests. The Al co-deposited samples showed a refined crystal size as compared to the Cu–Ni sample, suggesting that they are more susceptible to the formation of a passivation film. The corrosion current density of the Cu–Ni–Al was reduced, and the corrosion potential was lower than that without Al content. The negative shift in the corrosion potential of the Al-containing samples indicates that the Al2O3 film suppressed the cathodic reaction, resulting in a decrease in the corrosion rate. These results are consistent with the cyclic corrosion test results, in which no pitting corrosion is observed in the Cu–Ni–Al sample.