Localized Electrochemical Additive Deposition of Ni-Co Alloy on Cu and Ti Substrates

Localized electrochemical additive manufacturing (ECAM) offers a versatile solution for the controlled deposition of bimetallic microstructures. In this study, we present a custom-built ECAM device for the localized electrodeposition of Ni-Co alloy layers on conductive Cu and Ti substrates. The bimetallic layers prepared in this way exhibit compact and homogeneous surfaces with uniform element distribution, as confirmed by SEM-EDX and XRD analyses. The alloy crystallizes in the solid phase of Ni1–xCox with a layer thickness of approximately 1.0–1.5 mm. Electrochemical measurements show that the Ni-Co bimetallic layers exhibit high catalytic activity in the OER (oxygen evolution reaction) process. Compared to metal foils, the deposited Ni-Co layers have significantly higher current densities, which confirms their significantly better catalytic activity. The developed device operating on the ECAM principle provides a low-cost, controllable and scalable strategy for the preparation of functional bimetallic layers suitable for use in electrocatalysis.