High corrosion and wear resistant electroless Ni–P gradient coatings on aviation aluminum alloy parts

A Ni–P alloy gradient coating consisting of multiple electroless Ni–P layers with various phosphorus contents was prepared on the aviation aluminum alloy. Several characterization and electrochemical techniques were used to characterize the different Ni–P coatings’ morphologies, phase structures, elemental compositions, and corrosion protection. The gradient coating showed good adhesion and high corrosion and wear resistance, enabling the application of aluminum alloy in harsh environments. The results showed that the double zinc immersion was vital in obtaining excellent adhesion (81.2 N). The optimal coating was not peeled and shredded even after bending tests with angles higher than 90°and was not corroded visually after 500 h of neutral salt spray test at 35℃. The high corrosion resistance was attributed to the misaligning of these micro defects in the three different nickel alloy layers and the amorphous structure of the high P content in the outer layer. These findings guide the exploration of functional gradient coatings that meet the high application requirement of aluminum alloy parts in complicated and harsh aviation environments.

Tribological Behaviors of Electroless Nickel-Boron Coating on Titanium Alloy Surface

Titanium alloys are excellent structural materials in engineering fields,but their poor tribological properties limit their further applications.Electroless plating is an effective method to enhance the tribological performance of alloys,but it is difficult to efficiently apply to titanium alloys,due to titanium alloy’s strong chemical activity.In this work,the electroless Nickel-Boron(Ni-B)coating was successfully deposited on the surface of titanium alloy(Ti-6AL-4V)via a new pre-treatment process.Then,linearly reciprocating sliding wear tests were performed to evaluate the tribological behaviors of titanium alloy and its electroless Ni-B coatings.It was found that the Ni-B coatings can decrease the wear rate of the titanium alloy from 19.89×10^(−3)mm^(3)to 0.41×10^(−3)mm^(3),which attributes to the much higher hardness of Ni-B coatings.After heat treatment,the hardness of Ni-B coating further increases corresponding to coating crystallization and hard phase formation.However,heat treatment does not improve the tribological performance of Ni-B coating,due to the fact that higher brittleness and more severe oxidative wear exacerbate the damage of heat-treated coatings.Furthermore,the Ni-B coatings heat-treated both in air and nitrogen almost present the same tribological performance.The finding of this work on electroless coating would further extend the practical applications of titanium alloys in the engineering fields.

Microstructure and electrical conductivity of electroless copper plating layer on magnesium alloy micro-arc oxidation coating

In order to impart electrical conductivity to the magnesium alloy micro-arc oxidation(MAO)coating,the electroless copper plating was performed.Effects of plating temperature and complexing agent concentration on the properties of the electroless copper plating layers were studied by measuring their microstructure,corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity.It was found that the optimized plating temperature was 60°C,and the most suitable value of the complexing agent concentration was 30 g/L.Under this condition,a complete and dense plating layer could be obtained.The formation mechanism of the plating layer on magnesium alloy MAO coating was analyzed.A three-stage model of the plating process was proposed.The square resistance of the plated specimen was finally reduced to 0.03Ω/□after the third stage.Through electroless copper plating,the MAO coated sample obtained excellent electrical conductivity without significantly reducing its corrosion resistance.

Effects of zincate treatment on adhesion of electroless Ni-P coating onto various aluminum alloys

The effects of alloying elements on zincate treatment and adhesion of electroless Ni-P coating onto various aluminum alloy substrates were examined.Surface morphology of zinc deposits in the 1st zincate treatment and its adhesion were changed depending on the alloying element.The zinc deposits in the 2nd zincate treatment became thinly uniform,and the adhesion between aluminum alloy substrate and Ni-P coating was improved irrespective of the alloying element.XPS analysis revealed the existence of zinc on the surface of each aluminum alloy substrate after the pickling in 5% nitric acid.This zinc on the surface should be an important factor influencing the morphology of zinc deposit at the 2nd zincate treatment and its adhesion.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Structure and Magnetic Performance of Ni-Fe-P Alloy Obtained by Electroless Plating

The electroless deposition of Ni68-Fe10.5-P21.5 alloy has been investigated. The crystallization behavior of the deposit was comparatively studied by using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffractometry. The deposit transforms into a square Ni3P phase at 380. 0 ℃, then changes into a cubic FeNi3 phase at 490. 0 ℃. The microhardness, the size of the formed grains and the magnetic performance of the deposit increase with the increase of the heat treatment temperature below 500 ℃, then they decrease after this temperature. The effect of heat treatment time at 500 ℃ on the surface micromorphology, the structure and the magnetic performance of the deposit were also studied. The resuits show that with the increase of heat treatment time, the extent of crystallization of the deposit increases and the size of the formed grains becomes uniform. The results also show that the magnetic performance of the deposit under heat treatment for 40 min is maximal and then decreases with the increase of heat treatment time. The property change of the deposit is related to the crystal structure and the size of the formed grains of the deposit.

A novel dual nickel coating on AZ91D magnesium alloy

Magnesium alloys covered with metal coating display excellent corrosion resistance,wear resistance,conductivity and electromagnetic shielding properties.The electroless plating Ni-P as bottom layer following the electroplating nickel as surface layer on AZ91D magnesium alloy was investigated.The coating surface morphology was observed with SEM and the structure was analyzed with XRD.Electrochemical tests and salt spray tests were carried out to study the corrosion resistance.The experimental results indicate that the dual coating is uniform,compact and pore-free.The adhesion strength between magnesium alloy substrate and electroless plating Ni-P bottom layer and electroplating nickel surface layer is perfect.The corrosion resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy is greatly improved after being protected with the dual coating.

Electroless Ni-P plating on Mg-Li alloy by two-step method

Pretreated Mg-Li alloy sheets were pre-plated in a NiCO3？2Ni（OH）2？4H2O solution to form a thin Ni-P alloy film and then plating in a NiSO4？6H2O solution was carried out to obtain a protective coating.The surface morphology,structure and corrosion resistance of the coating were studied.The results showed that a flat,bright and compact plating layer,which was integrated into the matrix metal,was obtained.The P content of the Ni-P coating reached 13.56%（mass fraction）.The hardness value of the Ni-P coating was about HV 549.The polarization curve showed that the corrosion potential of the Ni-P coating reached ？0.249 V（vs SCE）.A long passivation region was found on the polarization curve,and this phenomenon indicated that the coating has an excellent anti-corrosion property.

An in situ measure method to study deposition mechanism of electroless Ni-P plating on AZ31 magnesium alloy

An in situ method was designed to measure a continuous open circuit potential （OCP） curve of AZ31 magnesium alloy and to observe the morphology variation of Ni-P coating during the process of the electroless plating. The deposition mechanism of the electroless Ni-P plating on AZ31 Mg alloy was studied by OCP curve, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and energy dispersion spectroscopy （EDS）. The process of electroless Ni-P plating contains the coating formation stage and the coating growth stage. The formation stage includes three procedures, i.e., the nucleation and growth of Ni crystallites, the extension of the coating in two-dimensional （2D） direction and the coalescence of the coating along three-dimensional （3D） direction. SEM investigations demonstrate that the spherical nodules of the Ni-P coating are not only formed during the coating growth stage, but also generated in the initial deposition stage of electroless Ni-P plating. The variation of the coating rates at different deposition stages corresponds to the deposition mechanism of their respective deposition stage.

Effect of novel ternary ligand system on acidic electroless Ni-P plating on AZ91D magnesium alloy

The electroless Ni-P coatings on AZ91 D magnesium alloy substrate were prepared using the acidic hypophosphite-reduced electroless nickel bath containing the novel ternary ligand system. The results indicate that the deposition rate varies with the ternary ligand concentration in plating solution. The structural and morphological characteristics of the coatings were analyzed by XRD and SEM. The anticorrosion properties of the Ni-P coatings were evaluated in 3.5% NaCl solution by electrochemical impedance and potentiodynamic polarization methods. The amount of ternary ligands in electroless plating bath has an significant effect on the surface morphology and structure of Ni-P coatings. The decrease of crystallization temperature and increase of crystallization heat of all the deposits with an increase in ternary ligand concentration are found by DSC measurements. The coating obtained with 0.035 mol/L ternary ligand additive in plating bath can offer a better surface homogeneity and improve corrosion resistance.

Formation mechanism of electroless plating nickel-based composite coating on highly active rare earth magnesium alloys and its corrosion resistance and adhesion performance

The process of preparing anodic oxide film containing active sites and electroless nickel plating on highly active rare earth magnesium alloy was developed.The formation mechanism of electroless nickel plating on active anodic oxide film and the structure and properties of the composite coating were studied by several surface and electrochemical techniques.The results showed that Ag nanograins with an average size of 10 nm were embedded into the anodic oxide film with pores of 0.1−2μm.Ag nanoparticles provided a catalytic site for the deposition of Ni-B alloy,and the Ni crystal nucleus was first grown in horizontal mode and then in cylindrical mode.The corrosion potential of the composite coating increased by 1.37 V and the corrosion current reduced two orders of magnitude due to the subsequent deposition of Ni-P alloy.The high corrosion resistance was attributed to the misaligning of these micro defects in the three different layers and the amorphous structure of the Ni-P alloy in the outer layer.These findings provide a new idea for electroless nickel plating on anodic oxide film.

Progress of electroplating and electroless plating on magnesium alloy

The current research processes of electroplating and electroless Ni-P alloy plating on magnesium alloys were reviewed. Theoretically,the reason for difficulties in electroplating and electroless plating on magnesium alloys was given.The zinc immersion, copper immersion,direct electroless Ni-P alloy plating and electroplating and electroless plating on magnesium alloys prepared by chemical conversion coating were presented in detail.Especially,the research development of magnesium alloy AZ91 and AZ31 was discussed briefly.Based on the analysis,the existing problems and future research directions were then given.

Influence of pH values on electroless Ni-P-SiC plating on AZ91D magnesium alloy

A novel Ni-P-SiC composite coating was prepared by electroless plating in order to improve the corrosion capacity and wear resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy.The influence of pH values on deposition rates and properties of the coatings was studied.The microstructure and phase structure of the Ni-P-SiC coatings were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and X-ray diffractometry(XRD).The corrosion and wear resistance performances of the coatings were also investigated through electrochemical technique and pin-on-disk tribometer,respectively.The results indicate that the composite coating is composed of Ni, P and SiC.It exhibits an amorphous structure and good adhesion to the substrate.The coatings have higher open circuit potential than that of the substrate.The composite coating obtained at pH value of 5.2 possesses optimal integrated properties,which shows similar corrosion resistance and ascendant wear resistance properties to the substrate.

High-temperature Compressive Performance of Mg Alloy Foams Coated with Ni-P Layer

Mg/Ni hybrid foams were fabricated by the electroless method.The Ni-P(Nickel-Phosphorous)coatings were deposited on the surface of closed-cell Mg alloy foams.The composition,microstructure and phases of the Ni-P coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS)and X-ray diffraction(XRD),respectively.The compressive tests were performed on the Mg/Ni hybrid foams at 400℃using the Mg alloy foams as a reference.The experimental results show that the yield strength,plateau stress and energy absorption capacity of the closed-cell Mg alloy foams at high temperature were improved by the Ni-P coating.And there are four main modes for the Mg/Ni hybrid foam failure at 400℃,i e,shearing in cell wall,bending in cell edge,shedding and cracking in Ni-P coating.

Stability of electrodeposited amorphous Ni-Fe-P alloys

The stability of the electrodeposited amorphous Ni-Fe-P alloys was studied by DTA,DSC,XRD and improved four-ball wear tester in order to clear its applied scope.The results show that the element content has influence on the stability of amorphous Ni-Fe-P alloy,in which the crystallization temperature increases with Fe content,and the increase of P content delays the appearance of stable crystallization phases and recrystallization.There exist 6 exothermal reactions during heating the amorphous Ni69Fe8P23 alloy continuously.The activation energies of exothermal reactions at 248,303,322,350,376 and 442 ℃ are 131.5,111.6,237.8,253.6 and 238.5 kJ/mol,respectively.The amorphous Ni60Fe22P18 alloy crystallizes when the heating temperature is beyond 250 ℃.The stable crystallization phases consist of Ni(Fe)and Ni3P-type compounds Ni3P,Fe3P,(Fe,Ni)3P.The pressure and fraction have influence on the stability of amorphous alloy.Rubbing above the critical pressure crystallization will take place on the fractional surface.The crystallization phases due to pressure and fraction are different from those due to heating.It is the crystallization that increases the wear resistance of Ni-Fe-P coating under higher pressure.

A novel electroless silver depositing method for magnesium alloys

Depositing silver on magnesium alloy by both electroless plating and organic coatings was studied. The organic coating was made by immersing samples in organosilicon heat-resisting varnish. In this method the organic coating acts as interlayer between the substrate and silver film. When the reaction starts, silver deposits directly on the interlayer. X-ray diffraction and SEM analysis were used to determine the composition and morphology of the interlayer and silver film. The potentiodynamic polarization curves for corrosion studies of coated magnesium alloys were performed in a corrosive environment of 3.5% NaCl(mass fraction) at neutral pH (6.9). The results indicate that compared with the substrate, the corrosion resistance of coated magnesium alloys increases greatly. Moreover, the method proposed in this work is environmentally friendly, non-toxic chemicals were used. In addition, it provides a new concept for the corrosion inhibition of magnesium alloys.

Metal-organic framework[NH_(2)-MIL-53(Al)]functionalized TiO_(2)nanotube photoanodes for highly stable and efficient photoelectrochemical cathodic protection of nickel-coated Mg alloy

Metal-organic framework[MOF,i.e.,NH_(2)-MIL-53(Al)]modified TiO_(2)(NMT)composite photoanodes were successfully prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and were used for the photoelectrochemical cathodic protection(PECCP)of nickel-plated magnesium alloy(Mg/Ni).Results showed that the synthesis tem-perature significantly impacted the morphology and PECCP performance of the NMT photoanodes.The NMT@150 photoanode prepared at a reaction temperature of 150℃exhibited the best PECCP perfor-mance and produced a current density of 1980μA cm^(-2)under visible light irradiation,which was 19.8 times higher than that of a single TiO_(2)photoanode.The composite photoanode could polarize the open circuit potential of the coupled Mg/Ni electrode to-876 mV and remain relatively stable within 35 h.XPS and EPR tests showed that a Z-scheme heterojunction was formed between the NH_(2)-MIL-53(Al)and TiO_(2)nanotubes,allowing the photogenerated electrons to accumulate mainly on the conduction band of NH_(2)-MIL-53(Al).The heterojunction greatly promoted the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole in the NMT composite photoanode,significantly enhancing the PECCP performance for Mg/Ni.

稳定剂KI对化学镀Ni-Fe-P-B合金性能的影响

利用化学镀方法沉积铁合金系镀层，具有诱人的软磁性能，应用于计算机以及磁头材料等领域。近期研究较多的镀层主要有：Fe—P、Fe—Ni-P、Fe-Mo-B、Fe-W—B、Fe—Sn—B、Fe—Mo—W—B和Fe—Ni-P-B等体系，并取得了可喜的成果。但也存在不少问题，化学镀液本身处于热力学不稳定状态，常要加入稳定剂，阻止H2PO2^-分解。目前常用稳定剂：（1）重金属离子，如Pb^2＋等；（2）无机含氧酸根离子，如IO3^-等；（3）有机酸，如柠檬酸等；

汽车模具用钢化学镀Ni-Fe-P合金镀层性能的研究

采用化学镀技术对汽车模具用钢进行了表面强化处理。研究了pH值和温度对化学镀Ni-Fe-P合金镀层的成分、显微硬度及耐磨性的影响。结果表明:随着pH值的增大,化学镀Ni-Fe-P合金镀层中Ni元素和P元素的质量分数都呈下降趋势,而Fe元素的质量分数呈上升趋势;显微硬度增大;磨损质量损失率降低。随着温度的升高,化学镀Ni-Fe-P合金镀层中Ni元素的质量分数先下降后上升,P元素的质量分数先上升后下降,而Fe元素的质量分数几乎不变;显微硬度减小;磨损质量损失率的变化幅度较小。

化学镀Ni-Fe-P合金镀液组分及pH值对镀层性能的影响

目前,对化学镀Ni-Fe-P合金镀液影响镀层形成及其阴极极化曲线的研究较少。在纯铜片表面化学镀Ni-Fe-P合金;采用扫描电镜观察了镀层的形貌,采用能谱仪测试了镀层成分,采用X射线衍射仪分析镀层的结构,采用电化学工作站测试镀层在镀液中的阴极极化曲线;通过单因素法考察了镀液组分含量及pH值对化学镀Ni-Fe-P合金沉积速率、镀层成分、形貌、结构及阴极极化曲线的影响。结果表明:镀液各组分含量及pH值对镀层性能有较大影响;最佳工艺条件为20 g/L硫酸镍,12 g/L硫酸亚铁,30 g/L次磷酸钠,40 g/L柠檬酸三钠,20 g/L硫酸铵,20 mL/L乳酸,pH值9.0,镀液温度80℃,时间1 h;此条件下所得Ni-Fe-P合金镀层以非晶态形式存在,其耐蚀性能明显优于相同工艺条件制备的Ni-P镀层。

Pretreatment-free Ni-P plating on magnesium alloy at low temperatures

Electrochemically promoted electroless plating(EPEP)was used for the application of pretreatment-free Ni-P coating on AM60B magnesium alloy at low temperatures and the obtained coating was characterized by SEM,AFM,EDS and XRD techniques.Compact,uniform,and medium-phosphorus Ni-P coating with mixed crystalline-amorphous microstructure was obtained by applying a cathodic current density of4mA/cm^2at50℃.Also,island-like nickel clusters were deposited on the alloy surface under the same plating condition but without applying the cathodic current.In addition,the durability of the magnesium alloy against corrosion was strongly improved after plating via EPEP technique which was revealed by electrochemical examinations in3.5%NaCl(mass fraction)corrosive electrolyte.The results of the electrochemical examinations were confirmed by microscopic observations.Thickness,microhardness,porosity and adhesive strength of the deposits were also qualified.