Electrolyte pH dependence of composition, roughness parameters, particle diameter and magnetic features of nanostructured Fe-Co-Ni/ITO deposits prepared by electrochemical deposition method.

The composition, structural features, surface morphology, roughness parameters, particle size, and magnetic features of nanostructured Fe-Co-Ni deposits manufactured on conducting indium tin oxide coated glasses at various electrolyte pH values are studied. The deposit produced at low electrolyte pH contains slightly higher Fe and Co contents but lower Ni content compared to deposits fabricated at high pH values. Further composition analysis confirms that the reduction rates of Fe 2+ and Co 2+ are higher than the Ni 2+ reduction rate. The films consist of nano-sized crystallites with a strong [111] preferred orientation. The results also reveal that the crystallization of the films is affected by the electrolyte pH. Surface analysis shows that the deposit surfaces are composed of nano-sized particles with different diameters. The mean particle diameter and surface roughness decrease as the pH of the electrolyte decreases. The effect of the electrolyte pH on the morphology is also discussed in terms of surface skewness and kurtosis parameters. Magnetic analysis shows that the resultant deposits have in-plane hysteresis loops with low and close SQR parameters ranging from 0.079 to 0.108. The results also reveal that the coercive field of the deposits increases from 29.4 Oe to 41.3 Oe as the electrolyte pH decreases from 4.7 to 3.2. The composition, structural features, surface morphology, roughness parameters, particle size, and magnetic features of nanostructured Fe-Co-Ni deposits manufactured on conducting indium tin oxide coated glasses at various electrolyte pH values are studied. The results also reveal that the crystallization of the films is affected by the electrolyte pH. Surface analysis shows that the deposit surfaces are composed of nano-sized particles with different diameters. The mean particle diameter and surface roughness decrease as the pH of the electrolyte decreases. The deposit produced at low electrolyte pH contains slightly higher Fe and Co contents compared to other deposits fabricated at high electrolyte pH values. In all resultant samples, the reduction rates of Fe 2+ and Co 2+ are higher than the Ni 2+ reduction rate. The films are composed of nano-sized crystallites with a strong [111] preferred orientation. The influence of the electrolyte pH on the morphology, roughness parameters, and particle diameter is analyzed. The films have in-plane hysteresis loops with low and close SQR parameters ranging from 0.079 to 0.108. Lowering the pH of the electrolyte leads to an increase in the coercive field from 29.4 Oe to 41.3 Oe. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.