International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.39, No.28, 15810-15818, 2014
Hydrogen solubility in PdCuAg ternary alloy films prepared by electrodeposition
PdCuAg films were prepared by pulsed co-electrodeposition on Ti substrate. The film composition, determined by energy dispersive spectroscopy ([Pd] = similar to 35-65 at.%, [Cu] = similar to 35-65 at.%, [Ag] = similar to 0-15 at.%) was controlled by varying the electrolytic bath composition. X-ray diffraction analyses showed that all the as-deposited films present a monophased face-centered cubic (fcc) structure with an anisotropic deformation of the crystalline structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations indicated that all the films present a cauliflower-like morphology. Their hydrogen solubility was evaluated electrochemically in NaOH media. It was shown that the H solubility in the alloy increases with the Pd content. At fixed Pd content, the variation of the H solubility with the Cu or Ag content is more complex and depends on the Pd content. Lastly, a major decrease of the H solubility was observed for films annealed at 400 degrees C due to the resulting fcc-to-bcc phase transition. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.