Abstract: The electrocrystalliztion nucleation and growth process of Ni-Fe alloy was studied using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results show that, in the case of high deposition overpotential, the nucleation/growth process of Ni-Fe binary alloy is 3-D instantaneous, and the growth rate of the previously formed nuclei increases with overpotential. However, at low overpotential, no distinguished nucleation current can be observed. Meanwhile, the discrepancy between the experimental non-dimensional variables(I/I_m)² and those calculated from the theoretical model was elucidated in the light of the molecular orbital theorem.

Key words: nickel-iron electroplating; nucleation; growth; mechanism