Hydrogen Embrittlement in Metals Deposited from Deep Eutectic Solvents

We propose to study the composition of metallic films of Cr, Co & Ni using specular NR measurements during electrolytic growth in deep eutectic solvent media in order to determine hydrogen content. Hydrogen content in metals deposited by electrolytic reduction can cause embrittlement and structural failure. The extent to which this may be a problem in coatings deposited from new & novel solvents such as ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents (DES) is unknown. The metal coating will be electrolytically deposited on gold coated quartz blocks under potential control from the DES electrolyte known as Ethaline 200. The aim will be to both quantify the total hydrogen content in a film as a function of electrochemical growth potential & time but also to attempt compositional analysis as a function of growth time in order to understand where the hydrogen is accumulated in the growing film.