Microstructural and Mechanical Characterization of Multilayered Iron Electrodeposits

Monolithic and multilayered iron electrodeposits were successfully synthesized by the pulse plating electrodeposition method. Electron microscopy and Vickers microhardness measurements were used to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of the iron electrodeposits produced. Two types of monolithic iron coatings were produced, one with a coarse grained, columnar structure and the other with an ultra-fine grained structure. Hall-Petch type grain size strengthening was observed in these monolithic coatings. Multilayered iron coatings composed of alternating layers of coarse grained and fine grained structures were also produced. The hardness value of the multilayered coatings falls between the hardness values for the two types of monolithic coatings produced. This study has demonstrated the possibility of applying a multilayered structure design to tailor the microstructure and mechanical properties of electrodeposited iron coatings.