Ni-Al layered double hydroxides electrodeposition from a chloride solution

Ni-Al LDHs was electrodeposited from a NiCl2-AlCl3 solution. In order to analyze the electrodeposition process, electrolytes with initial Al content range of 0–20% were used. With increasing Al content in the sample, the preferred orientations of (0 0 3) and (0 0 6), increased crystallinity, and decreased interlayer spacing were observed from the XRD results. A dissolution–recrystallization of (0 0 3) plane was detected among the Ni-Al LDHs from the strongly alkaline solution soaking results, which was found to be conducted easily in high Al-containing samples. The pH of the Al-containing electrolyte was much lower than that of pure NiCl2 solution because lower pH was needed to start a precipitation reaction in the AlCl3-NiCl2 solution. The electrodeposition yield and current efficiency were found to decrease obviously in the electrolytes with initial Al content higher than 10%, which was attributed to the increasing Al content in the sample and diffusion of the complex ions. The electrodeposition pattern was in-situ in the electrolyte initially containing 10% Al, then, it developed toward and off in-situ in electrolytes initially containing 0–10% and 10–20% Al.