Electrodeposition of aluminum and aluminum—magnesium alloys at room temperature

Abstract

Electrodeposition of aluminum from benzene-tetrahydrofuran-AlCl₃-LiAlH₄ was studied at room temperature. Galvanostatic electrolysis was used to investigate the effect of various parameters on deposit morphology and crystal size, including current density, temperature, molar ratio of benzene/tetrahydrofuran and stirring speed. The deposit microstructure was adjusted by changing the parameters, and the optimum operating conditions were determined. Dense, bright and adherent aluminum coatings were obtained over a wide range of current densities (10–25 mA/cm²), molar ratio of benzene and tetrahydrofuran (4:1 to 7:8) and stirring speeds (200–500 r/min). Smaller grain sizes and well-adhered deposits were obtained at lower temperatures. Aluminum-magnesium alloys could potentially be used as hydrogen storage materials. A novel method for Al—Mg deposition was proposed by using pure Mg anodes in the organic solvents system benzene-tetrahydrofuran—AlCl₃—LiAlH₄. XRD shows that the aluminum—magnesium alloys are mainly Al₃Mg₂ and Al₁₂Mg₁₇.

Keywords

electrodeposition / aluminum coating / aluminum—magnesium (Al—Mg) coating / organic solvent system

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