Electrodeposition of nickel-tungsten alloys under ultrasonic waves: Impact of ultrasound intensity on the anticorrosive properties

Electrodeposited Ni–W alloy assisted by high-intensity ultrasound was evaluated considering the nominal power effect on the anticorrosive property. Temperature profiles demonstrated that using a nominal power of 400 W, the electrolytic bath at 30 °C reached values of 39 ± 1 °C. The maximum acoustic power corresponded to 6.7% of the nominal power value at 400 W. Increasing the nominal power from 0 to 400 W; the Ni content decreased from 85.3 to 75.2 wt%, and the W content increased from 15.1 to 25.1 wt%. The deposited coating at 200 W and 300 W had a smooth, homogeneous, and uniform surface. At 400 W, the acoustic cavitation promoted erosion, affecting the coating surface. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the nominal power of 200 W promoted electrodeposition of the Ni₁₇W₃ structure with the plane (1 1 1) as a preferred orientation. The crystallite size decreased for the planes (1 1 1) and (2 0 0) when increased nominal power from 100 to 200 W. The optimum condition for the improved corrosion resistance occurred with the nominal power of 200 W, providing a polarization resistance of 23.42 kΩ cm².