Electrodeposition of Gd-Co Film in Organic Bath.

Abstract Gadolinium toluenesulfonate that is highly soluble in organic solvents was prepared for the first time and used as a solute in DMF for the electrodeposition of Gd–Co film. Cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry were used to study the electroreduction of Gd(III) in ( p -CH 3 C 6 H 4 SO 3 ) 3 Gd+DMF. Experimental results indicate that the reaction of Gd(III)+3e=Gd is irreversible, the transfer coefficient α was calculated as 0.4 and the diffusion coefficient of Gd(III) to be 1.8×10 −7 cm 2 s −1 at 25°C. The amorphous film of Gd–Co was obtained by potentiostatic electrolysis in ( p -CH 3 C 6 H 4 SO 3 ) 3 Gd+CoCl 2 +DMF. It is homogeneous, dense and adheres firmly to the copper substrate analyzed by SEM, EDAX and XRD. TG and DSC experiments show that the alloying temperature of the Gd–Co film is from 436.7 to 493.7°C. After heat treatment of crystallization at 500°C for 1 h, the alloy phase of Co 3 Gd can be found in XRD patterns.