Nucleation and growth mechanism in the early stages of nickel coating in jet electrodeposition: a coarse-grained molecular simulation and experimental study

In jet electrodeposition, microscopic nucleation and growth in the early stages of nickel coating are curcial and directly related to the consistency and reliability of the coating structure. We set up a three-electrode device with flow-injection function based on the vertical distribution and further studied the early stages of nanocluster formation corresponding to parallel and vertical distribution states. According to the nucleation diffusion and growth analysis, a coarse-grained molecular dynamics model is established for the first time to reveal the influences of different growth environments on the microscopic nucleation growth of the coating structure. Thus, the ion dynamic diffusion and nucleation kinetic mechanism could be further achieved, these vary under different electrodeposition conditions. In addition, the physical structure of the surface coating can be obtained by element analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. These findings provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the efficient preparation of nickel coatings.

Automated summary

Microscopic nucleation and growth in the early stages of jet electrodeposition of nickel coatings are crucial for the consistency and reliability of the coating structure. This study established a three-electrode device with flow-injection function and investigated the early stages of nanocluster formation under different distribution states. By analyzing nucleation diffusion and growth, a coarse-grained molecular dynamics model was proposed to reveal the influences of different growth environments on microscopic nucleation growth. Additionally, surface coating's physical structure was obtained through element analysis and density functional theory calculations.