Characterization of the electrochemical deposition of aluminum from an AlCl3:N-methylacetamide eutectic solvent modified with nicotinamide

Aluminum currently sees extensive use in a wide range of applications that include cars, the aviation industry, consumer appliances, container vessels, and electronics. Aluminum electroplating is typically carried out using conventional ionic liquids, but these are typically toxic, costly, and relatively sensitive to air. This research will investigate the electrodeposition of aluminum for the first time from a (1:1 M ratio of) AlCl3:N-methylacetamide-based eutectic solvent on different substrates at room temperature in the presence and absence of nicotinamide as an additive. The electrochemical behavior of the aluminum in N-methylacetamide electrolyte was studied via chronocoulometry and cyclic voltammetry. The redox peak current was found to decrease relative to the pure Al solution when nicotinamide is added. The surface morphologies and composition of any aluminum films produced have been investigated via SEM/EDX, while the crystal structures of the products and their roughnesses were examined using XRD and AFM, respectively. The roughness of the Al film produced from the bath containing 0.02 M nicotinamide decreased to approximately 312 nm. The corrosion resistance of the aluminum coatings obtained from the systems containing 0.1 M and 0.2 M nicotinamide were found to be improved.