The effect of SiC nanoparticle size on the electrodeposition of Zn–SiC nanocomposite coatings from citrate bath

A comparison is made between the codeposition behavior of Zn with SiC nanoparticles (NPs) of two average sizes: 56 nm and 90 nm. The SiC NPs are first characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) is used to compare the surface charge of both kinds of SiC NPs suspended in aqueous citrate electrolytes. The effect of applied current density, hydrodynamic conditions, and total charge passed on the SiC content in the coating and electrodeposition rate is studied. The electrodeposited Zn-SiC coatings are characterized by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and XRD. The results obtained confirm that Cit-Zn complexes are adsorbed on the surface of the SiC NPs, which are transported to the cathode and are codeposited with Zn during reduction. Zn-SiC incorporation may proceed also by mechanical entrapment of SiC agglomerates in the cavities and pores that are formed in the deposit under condition of relatively fast Zn deposition, which is accompanied by fast hydrogen evolution.