Electrosynthesis of metallic molybdenum from water deficient solution containing molybdate ions and high concentrations of acetate

Abstract

We prepare molybdenum (Mo) coatings by direct current electrodeposition. The acetate bath composition is fixed whereas different electrodeposition parameters such as temperature, deposition time, pH and current density are investigated to reveal their effects on the Mo coating properties (composition and mechanical properties). A compact and hard Mo coating (~20 μm thick, with a high hardness of 5551 MPa) was obtained from a neutral electrolyte at a deposition temperature of 30 °C and a current density of 0.4 A/cm2 over 8 h. The composition of the coating was confirmed to be 91% Mo through energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The deposited coatings were shown to be nanocrystalline/amorphous via X-ray diffraction (XRD), which accounts for the high measured coating hardness.