Dissertation defense: Kyle Troche

March 20, 2025

Student Name: Kyle Troche
Program: PhD NSME
Date: Wednesday, March 26th
Time: 1:00pm
Place: AML Classroom
Title: "Analytical Electrochemistry of Nickel, Platinum, and Platinum-nickel Electrodepositions" 
Committee Chair: Dr. Fernando Garzon

Nickel and platinum electrodeposits have numerous applications in corrosion and wear‐ resistive coatings, electronic connectors, heat resistance, metal finishings, and catalysts. It is known that electrodeposition is affected by the concentration of the metal ions, deposition time, applied voltage, pH, and parasitic reactions such as hydrogen evolution. However, the addition of additives can vastly change the morphology of the deposition. The mechanisms of film modification via additive additions are not always well understood. By conducting various rotating disk electrode (RDE) experiments on nickel and platinum electrodeposition baths and applying the Koutecky‐Levich analysis, diffusion coefficients and rate constants for various deposition baths can be determined. Co‐deposition of Ni‐Pt is a particular challenge due to vastly differing redox potentials. An understanding of the kinetic parameters can help optimize the conditions for platinum‐nickel co‐electrodeposition. Five nickel electrodeposition baths with boric acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, acetic acid, and hydrochloric acid and two platinum electrodeposition baths with acetic acid and hydrochloric acid were analyzed individually to determine suitable parameters for platinum‐nickel alloy depositions.

While Nickel and platinum electrodepositions have a wide range of applications, electrodepositions of platinum‐nickel (Pt‐Ni) alloys have rarely been studied. Significant challenges need to be addressed to deposit uniform films of Pt‐Ni alloys from a single co‐ deposition bath. The main challenge is platinum’s catalytic property to reduce the overpotential for the hydrogen generation reaction. Methanol and carbon monoxide were tested in nickel, platinum, and Pt‐Ni baths to determine if either can suppress the hydrogen generation reaction. Electrodeposition was conducted on the three metal baths, nickel, platinum, and platinum‐nickel, in both acetic acid and hydrochloric acid at 5 mA/cm2 and 25 mA/cm2 for 15 minutes on a gold coated silicon wafer. Carbon Monoxide was also incorporated into each bath during electrodeposition to determine its effect on deposition and morphology. Analytical techniques such as SEM, EDS, XRF, XRD, and XPS will be used to determine whether carbon monoxide has adverse effects on electrodepositions. A brief study of palladium and palladium‐ nickel electrodepositions in an acetic acid bath were also analyzed. Finally, a simple 2D COMSOL model of nickel and platinum electrodeposition was produced and compared to the measured film thicknesses for their respective electrodepositions."