Electrodeposition of Iron Triad Metal Coatings: Miles to Go

The possibilities and future perspectives of electrochemical deposition of bimetallic compositions and alloys containing Fe, Co, Ni, Cr, W, and Mo are reviewed. The synthesis of two- and three-component materials, as well as compositionally more complex alloys, is considered. The method of synthesizing of materials via electrodeposition from solutions containing metal ions and metalloids is one of the most promising approaches because it is fast, cheap, and it is possible to control the composition of the final product with good precision. Corrosion, catalytic and magnetic properties should be distinguished. Due to these properties, the range of applications for these alloys is very wide. The idea of a correlation between the magnetic and catalytic properties of the iron-triad metal alloys is considered. This should lead to a deeper understanding of the interplay of the properties of electrodeposited alloys. In addition to deposition from aqueous (classical) solvents, the advantages and perspectives of electrochemical deposition from ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DES) are briefly discussed. The successful use and development of this method of electrodeposition of alloys, which are quite difficult or impossible to synthesize in classical solvents, has been demonstrated and confirmed.