Exploring the potential of nickel-chloride bath for electroforming of pure nickel and nickel composites

Abstract

Electroforming is becoming increasingly important as a reliable method for the production and replication of independent parts. Researchers are continually striving to reduce production costs for the fabrication of complex tools with the highest precision and lowest cost, and electroforming is a key technique for achieving this goal. The present research aimed to produce pure nickel foils via electroforming using a simple and inexpensive nickel-chloride bath, which has not been previously utilized for electroforming. The effects of saccharin concentration, nickel-chloride concentration, direct current density, and the use of graphite as an insoluble anode were investigated. The surface morphology of the electroformed products was characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their chemical composition was analyzed using energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern. The microhardness of the foils was determined using the Vickers hardness test. Results showed that specimens produced using the nickel-chloride bath had a good surface appearance with acceptable brightness and satisfactory microhardness. Ten electroforming tests were conducted to determine the optimal bath components, pH, and direct current density for the fabrication of pure nickel products. It was found that these parameters had a significant influence on the quality of the appearance and surface morphology of the foils. In addition, using a graphite anode was seen to reduce the cathode current efficiency as compared to a soluble nickel anode and was affected by the preferred orientation of nickel crystal plates. It can be concluded that the nickel-chloride bath has excellent potential for the production of pure nickel products using the electroforming method.