Microstructure and growth of electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel foils

In the present work, the structure of electrodeposited pure Ni foils has been investigated by X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy and by measuring their electrical transport properties. It was found that the as-deposited Ni foils have a nanocrystalline structure covered by a thin amorphous Ni layer on the substrate side: the growth of the electrodeposited foils starts in amorphous form followed by nanocrystalline layers. To explain the formation of the amorphous Ni layer, it is supposed that foreign atoms are incorporated into the nucleating Ni films.