Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the corrosion resistance and the electrodeposition behavior of electrodeposited nickel-cobalt-iron alloys. Also, to compare the electrodeposition of ternary nickel-cobalt-iron alloy from acidic sulfate bath onto a steel substrate with the characteristics of Co-Fe electrodeposits. Design/methodology/approach - The investigation of electrodeposition was carried out using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic techniques, while potentiodynamic polarization resistance and anodic linear sweep voltammetry techniques were used for corrosion study. The phase structure was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction analysis. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the deposits were examined by using scanning electron microscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy, respectively. Findings - The obtained results revealed that the Ni-Co-Fe alloys consisted of a mixture of iron (Fe10.8Ni) and (FeCo) phases. It was found that the obtained Ni-Co-Fe alloy exhibited a more-preferred surface appearance and better corrosion resistance, compared to the Co-Fe alloy that was electrodeposited under similar conditions. Practical implications - Ni-Co-Fe alloy was successfully electroplated from a sulfate bath. This alloy showed better anticorrosion properties compared to Co-Fe deposits. The Ni-Co-Fe alloy could be used advantageously in industry, e.g. the automotive industry. The coating also has particular interest due to it is ability to exhibit stable magnetic properties. Originality/value - The paper evaluates the effect of electrodeposition of the ternary alloy on the corrosion behavior of electroplated steel. To date, there has been little research on this issue. It was found that the presence of Ni could increase the corrosion resistance of steel.