Study of nickel-doped diamond-like carbon films by laser-assisted electrodeposition

In this study, controllable fabrication of nickel-doped diamond-like carbon (Ni-DLC) films through laser-assisted electrochemical deposition under low-voltage conditions (5 V) is achieved. After substrate polishing, picosecond laser irradiation is applied during electrodeposition to precisely control the laser energy and defocus distance during film preparation, with subsequent analysis of surface morphology, composition, and properties in correlation with growth mechanisms. Compared with conventional DLC electrodeposition, the laser-assisted technique significantly improves film quality by maintaining the deposition zone temperature at ~52 ℃, with laser-induced micro-stirring effectively reducing cathode bubble adhesion and suppressing hydrogen evolution. Without laser assistance, the films exhibit poor adhesion, porous structure, and thickness nonuniformity, while increasing the laser energy progressively enhances densification, achieving 3.5 μm thickness uniformity. Optimal performance at 8.5 μJ laser energy demonstrates an improved deposition rate compared with conventional methods, a minimum corrosion current density (1.116 × 10⁻⁶ A · mm⁻²), and a stable friction coefficient (0.143), establishing a novel laser-assisted approach for controllable DLC electrodeposition.