Enhanced Microhardness of Mild Steel due to Electrodeposition of Copper Controlled by Temperature and pH

Abstract

The microhardness of the mild steel might be enhanced by the electrodeposition of copper onto it. This work investigates the electrodeposition of Cu on the mild steel substrate controlled by different parameters such as temperature, pH, and current density of bath composition. Therefore, the microhardness and morphological properties of the deposited copper layer have been investigated. It is observed that the microhardness of the studied substrate increases for both the pH and temperature of the electrolytic solution while long-time deposition degrades the hardness of the sample. The microstructure of the deposited copper has been analyzed from the micrographs obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface morphology of Cu-deposited mild steel reveals that the Cu particle is uniformly deposited and somewhere clusters are found. This research aims to establish optimal deposition parameters for achieving the desired properties of electrodeposited copper on mild steel substrates and the microhardness of this material could be enhanced.