Electrocatalytical properties of palladium-decorated cobalt coatings obtained by electrodeposition and galvanic displacment

Abstract

This work presents the studies on the electrochemical process of thin palladium layers formation onto electrodeposited cobalt coatings. The suggested methodology consists of the preparation of thick and smooth cobalt substrate via galvanostatic electrodeposition. Cobalt coatings were prepared under different cathodic current density conditions from acidic bath containing cobalt sulphate and addition of boric acid. Obtained cobalt layers were analyzed by x-ray diffraction to determine their phase composition. Freshly prepared cobalt coatings were modificated by the galvanic displacement method in PdCl2 solution, to obtain smooth and compact Pd layer. The comparison of electrocatalytic properties of Co coatings with Co/Pd ones enabled to determine the influence of Palladium presence in cathodic deposits on the hydrogen evolution process.