Research articles
ScienceAsia 52 (2026): 1-8 |doi:
10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2026.068
Preparation of high-surface-energy nickel surface by
electrodeposition combined with chemical etching
Bowen Yuea,*, Lijiang Shaob
ABSTRACT: Amorphous soft magnetic strips require highly hydrophilic copper cooling rolls to guarantee rapid heat
transfer and uniform solidification. In this work, hydrophilic nickel coatings were prepared on copper substrates using
electrodeposition combined with FeCl3
etching. The influences of four key parameters, including the molar ratio
of anions in the solution, brightener, etching concentration, and current density, were studied via response surface
methodology and uncertainty analysis. Results show that the optimized sample exhibits a surface free energy of
55.20 mJ/m2, which is 4.07% higher than that of the control group, and its polar component reaches 7.99 mJ/m2,
14.8% higher than those of the other groups. Brightener and etching solution concentrations have the most significant
impact on wettability variation, with the maximum interquartile ranges reaching 0.95 and 1.78, respectively, while the
effects of deposition ratio and current density are relatively weak. Rough etched surfaces favor the formation of NiO
and Ni(OH)2
polar phases. Together with the Wenzel wetting mechanism, the high surface energy and micro-roughness
work synergistically to improve surface hydrophilicity. This work provides a practical approach for designing highly
hydrophilic nickel-modified cooling rolls for high-quality amorphous strip manufacturing.
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| a |
School of Automobiles and Low-Altitude Unamnned Aerial Vehides, Zibo Polytechnic University, Zibo 255300 China |
| b |
College of Information Engineering, Wenzhou Business College, Wenzhou 325035 China |
* Corresponding author, E-mail: yuebowen@foxmail.com
Received 22 Jan 2026, Accepted 30 Jun 2026
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