Thermal stability of nanocrystalline Ni- and Co-based pulsed current electrodeposits: correlation of calorimetric measurements and microstructure development upon annealing

Abstract

The exceptional properties associated with nanocrystalline materials are, to a large extent, a result of their high inter-crystalline volume fraction. However, the intrinsic instability of the nanostructured state may compromise the gain in properties by the occurrence of grain growth during exposure at elevated temperatures. Thermal stability is, therefore, a fundamental materials issue for nanocrystalline materials. This article describes what can be deduced from calorimetric measurements in the context of what is known about the microstructural evolution upon annealing of nanocrystalline Ni- and Co-based pulsed current electrodeposits. Special emphasis is put on interpreting the shape of the curves obtained by a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The temperature ranges for relaxation, segregation, precipitation, as well as abnormal and normal grain growth can be predicted. Also, by evaluating the shift in peak temperature with heating rate (Kissinger plot), the activation energies for grain growth can be obtained for the different materials.