Effect of Dendritic Cu–In Alloy on Cr(VI) Reduction Synthesized via Pulsed Electrodeposition

Abstract Blending of two or more elements to form an alloy, offers way for the innovation of new materials with desirable characteristics which are indeed essential in this digital era of science. In this context, a noticeable copper‐indium (Cu−In) alloy is synthesized via pulsed electrodeposition (PED) and the catalytic performance of the alloy is evaluated by its conversion efficiency of chromium(VI) to less‐toxic chromium(III). From the XRD studies, as‐deposited Cu−In alloys show the presence of dual phases. The electron microgram reveals the dendritic formation. XPS and EDX analyses confirm the presence of copper and indium in the sample and elemental composition which is ascertained from atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Heat treatment of the alloy upto 350 °C reveals the phase transformation to cubic Cu 9 In 4 phase at 320 °C. Heavy metals are of great threat to health and should be removed from the waste water thereby prohibiting them from mixing in lakes and sea. From Cr(VI) reduction studies using Cu−In alloys prepared from various bath composition, the sample Cu−In synthesized from Cu 60 :In 40 bath composition shows higher catalytic activity with a rate constant of 3.5 ms −1 .