Electroless plating and growth kinetics of Ni-P alloy film on SiC_p/Al composite with high SiC volume fraction

After Sn/Pd activating, the SiCp/Al composite with 65% SiC (volume fraction) was coated by electroless Ni?P alloy plating. Surface morphology of the composite and its effect on the Ni?P alloy depositing process and bonding action of Ni and P atoms in the Ni?P alloy were studied. The results show that inhomogeneous distribution of the Sn/Pd activating points results in preferential deposition of the Ni?P alloy particles on the Al alloy and rough SiC particle surfaces and in the etched caves. The Ni?P alloy film has an amorphous structure where chemical bonding between Ni and P atoms exists. After a continuous Ni?P alloy film formed, electroless Ni?P alloy plating is not affected by surface morphology and characteristics of the SiCp/Al composite any longer, but by the electroless plating process itself. The Ni?P alloy film follows linear growth kinetics with an activation energy of 68.44 kJ/mol.

Preparation of electromagnetic shielding wood-metal composite by electroless nickel plating

Electrical and electromagnetic shielding wood metal composite was prepared by using electroless nickel plating. The effects of solution amount, plating time and plating temperature on surface resistivity and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness were investigated. And P content, microstructure and surface feature of layers obtained at different temperatures were analyzed by energy dispersion spectrometer （EDS）, X-ray diffraction （XRI）） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results showed that layers with higher electro-conductivity and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness were obtained under the optimum conditions that plating solution was 500 mL, plating time was 30 min and plating temperature was 62℃. The results showed by EDS analysis; that P content increased gradually in a small extent with plating temperature increased. It was showed by XRD and SEM analysis that layers plated at different temperatures were all microcrystalline structure and uniform and successive, which had noticeable metal luster. Those indicated that plating temperature had little influence on microstructure and surface feature under pH value invariable.

Copper-Ti_3SiC_2 composite powder prepared by electroless plating under ultrasonic environment

In this article, a new type of Cu-Ti3SiC2 composite powder prepared using the electroless plating technique was introduced. The initial Ti3SiC2 particles are 11 μm in diameter on an average. The Cu plating was carried out at middle temperature （62-65℃） with the application of ultrasonic agitation. The copper deposition rate was determined by measuring the weight gain of the powder after plating. It has been found that the pretreatment of Ti3SiC2 powder is very important to obtain copper nanoparticles on the surface of Ti3SiC2 The optimum procedure before plating aimed to add activated sites and the adjustment of the traditional composition of the electroless copper plating bath could decelerate the copper deposition rate to 0.8 gm/h. X-ray diffraction （XRD） indicates that the chemical composition of the plating layer is copper. SEM images show that the surface of the Ti3SiC2 particles is successfully coated with continuous copper layer. The wetting property between the copper matrix and Ti3SiC2 can be improved so as to increase the interfacial strength.

Study of Electroless Ni-P-CNTs Composite Plating

The electroless Ni-P-carbon nanotubes composite plating was studied on the copper substrate. Metallurgical microscope, scanning electronic microscope, X-ray diffractometer and micro hardness tester were used to study the structure, constitution and performance of the electroless Ni-P-carbon nanotubes composite deposit. Experiential results show that, with the increment of carbon nanotubes content in electroless plating solution, the grain size on the sample surface decreases whereas the density of grains and the hardness for composite deposit increases. Moreover, adding carbon nanotubes not only improves the degree of crystallization for the composite deposit but also helps their transformation from the amorphous state to the nanocrystal state.

PROCESS AND PROPERTIES OF ELECTROLESS PLATING RE-Ni-B-SiC COMPOSITE COATINGS

Technology and properties of electroless composite RE-Ni-B-SiC coatings have been investigated.Results show that stabilizer plys a decisive role in electroless composite Ni-B-SiC,the addition of appropriate quantity of RE(rare earth) into the Ni-B-SiC bath not only increases SiC content in composite coatings,their hardness and wear resistance but also improves crystalline fineness,Wear resistance increases with the increase of SiC.Hardness and wear resistance of composite coatings reach peak values a fter heat treatment at 4OO and 500℃ for 1h respectively.

Preparation and thermal treatment of Pd/Ag composite membrane on a porousα-alumina tube by sequential electroless plating technique for H_2 separation

Pd/Ag/α-Al2O3 composite membranes were prepared by sequential electroless plating technique. The prepared membranes were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy techniques （ICP-AES）. Effects of annealing time, Ag content, and air treatment on the hydrogen permeation flux and morphology of the alloys were investigated. The results of the investigation showed that the prepared type of tube had a good potential as substrate for membrane preparation. In addition, a uniform defect-free alloy was prepared by annealing at 550 ℃ in H2 atmosphere. The permeation results showed an increase in H2 permeation flux by increasing the Ag content and the annealing time. In addition, the air treatment of the prepared membranes at 400 ℃ for 1 h changed the morphology of the alloy and substantially enhanced the hydrogen flux.

Electroless plating Ni-P matrix composite coating reinforced by carbon nanotubes

Ni-P matrix composite coating reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was deposit ed by electroless plating. The most important factors that influence the content of carbon nanotubes in deposits,such as agitation,surfactant and carbon nanot ubes concentration in the plating bath were investigated. The surface morphology,structure and properties of the Ni-P-CNTs coating were examined. It is found that the maximum content of carbon nanotubes in the deposits is independent of carbon nanotubes concentration in the plating bath when it is up to 5 mg/L. The test results show that the carbon nanotubes co-deposited do not change the str ucture of the Ni-P matrix of the composite coating,but greatly increase the ha rdness and wear resistance and decrease the friction coefficient of the Ni-P-C NTs composite coating with increasing content of carbon nanotubes in deposits.

The Studies of Composite Electroless Plating Process on Sintering Ndfeb Permanent Magnet

A reasonable pre-treatment and an ultrasonic pre-plating Cu film were applied for sintering NdFeB permanent magnet. The samples were then plated in neutral bath (PH=7) for 40min and in acidic bath (PH=4.8～5.1) for 2h. A composite electroless plating with different phosphor content was obtained. The results show that the composite plating coatings are dense and have a strong bond with the substrate, which contribute to the excellent corrosion resistance of the plating coating.

ELECTROLESS PLATING COMPOSITE COATINGS OF Ni-Ti-Re ON THE SURFACE OF DIAMOND

The coating of Ni W P was deposited as base layer, and then the composite coating of Ni Ti(particles) Re(rare earth) was deposited subsequently on the surface of diamond using electroless plating by adding 2～3 μm Ti particles and trace rare earth salt to bath solution. Ti particles deposited on the surface of diamond were found by SEM and formation of TiC was verified by X ray diffraction analysis after heat treatment of the coatings in vacuum at 900 ℃. The binding strength between the coated diamond and the metal matrix was improved effectively in the diamond composite based on metal cement.

Fabrication of W@Cu Composite Powders by Direct Electroless Plating Using a Dripping Method

A direct electroless copper （Cu） coating on tungsten powders method requiring no surface treatment or stabilizing agent and using glyoxylic acid （C2H203） as a reducing agent was reported. The effects of copper sulfate concentration and the pH of the plating solution on the properties of the prepared W@Cu composite powders were assessed. The content of Cu in the composite powders was controlled by adjusting the concentration of copper sulfate in the electroless plating solution. A uniform, dense, and consistent Cu coating was obtained under the established optimum conditions （flow rate of C2H203 = 5.01 mL/min, solution pH = 12.25 and reaction temperature 45.35℃） by using central composite design method. In addition, the crystalline Cu coating was evenly dispersed within the W@Cu composite powders and Cu element in the coating existed as Cu~. The formation mechanism for the W@Cu composite powders by electroless plating in the absence of surface treatment and stabilizing agent was also proposed.

Electroless nickel plated graphite fibers and surface behavior in G_(r(Ni))/6061Al composite

The electroless nickel plated graphite fibers reinforced aluminum matrix composites (Gr(Ni))/Al) were produced by squeeze casting, and the microstructure of Gr(Ni)/Al composite and surface behavior of Ni-P coating were studied. The optimum process of electroless Ni-P plating included: burning to get rid of glue→degreasing→neutralization→acidulating→sensitizing→activation→electroless plating. The surface analysis results show that the electroless nickel plating can diffuse into the graphite fiber surface during the squeeze casting, and the Ni-P coating and aluminum alloys can produce brittle phase NiAl3 or NiAl. The X-ray diffraction(XRD) results indicate that Al4C3 is so little that no Al4C3 peaks are found, and the harmful Al4C3 can be decreased by the electroless plating Ni-P coating. The coating improves the interfacial bonding of continuous graphite fibers reinforced aluminum matrix composites.

Preparation and Tribological Properties of Ni-P Electroless Composite Coating Containing Potassium Titanate Whisker

Nickel-phosphorus （Ni-P） composite coatings containing potassium titanate （K2Ti6O13） whiskers （PTWs） were prepared by electroless plating. The surface morphology and component of coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDX）, respectively before and after wear test. The tribological performance was evaluated using a pin-on-disk wear tester under dry conditions. It is found that the Ni-P-PTWs composite coatings exhibit higher wear resistance than Ni-P and Ni-P-SiC electroless coatings. The favorable effects of PTWs on the tribological properties of the composite coatings are attributed to the super-strong mechanical properties and the specific tunneling structures of PTWs. The PTWs greatly reinforce the structure of the Ni-P-based composite coatings and thereby greatly reduce the adhesive and plough wear of Ni-P-PTWs composite coatings.

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.

Magnetic Properties Hard-Soft SmCo₅-FeNi and SmCo₅-FeCo Composites Prepared by Electroless Coating Technique

Composites of SmCo5-FeNi and SmCo5-FeCo, hard-soft magnetic materials, have been synthesized via electroless plating of magnetically hard SmCo5 powder particles with magnetically soft FeNi and FeCo, respectively. The influence of coating thickness of soft magnetic layers on the structure and magnetic properties of the composite has been studied. Overall FeNi coating was found to be less dense compared to FeCo for the same plating duration. Structurally the coat ing was found to be nodular in morphology. These coating have dramatic effect on the overall magnetic property of the composite. As compared to FeNi coated SmCo5 composite, two-fold increase in the saturation magnetization has been observed upon coating SmCo5 (Ms^28 emu/g) with FeCo to a value 56 emu/g. The coercivity of composite powder was found to decrease with increasing the coating layer thickness. The absence of exchange spring behavior in the hard-soft composite is attributed to magnetically soft layer thickness exceeding the theoretical length limit for exchange-spring coupling.

Preparation and tribological performances of Ni-P-multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite coatings

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWNTs） were wet-milled in the presence of ammonia and cationic surfactant and then used as reinforcements to prepare Ni-P-MWNTs composite coatings by electroless plating. The tribological performances of the composite coatings under dry condition were investigated in comparison with 45 steel and conventional Ni-P coating, Micrographs show that short MWNTs with uniform length and open tips were obtained through the wet-milling process. The results of wear test reveal that the Ni-P-MWNTs composite coatings posses much better friction reduction and anti-wear performances when compared with 45 steel and Ni-P coating. Within the MWNTs content range of 0.74%-1.97%, the friction coefficient and the volume wear rate of the composite coatings decrease gradually and reach the minimum values of 0.08 and 6.22x10-15 m3/（N.m）, respectively. The excellent tribological performances of the composite coatings can be attributed to the introduction of MWNTs, which play both roles of reinforcements and solid lubricant during the wear process.

Compocasting of A356-CNT composite

A356 aluminum alloys reinforced with carbon nano-tubes (CNTs) were produced by stir casting and compocasting routes and their microstructural characteristics and hardness were examined.In order to alleviate the problems associated with poor wettability, agglomeration and gravity segregation of CNTs in the melt, CNTs were introduced into the melts by injection of CNT deposited aluminum particles instead of raw CNTs.Aluminum particles with mean diameters of less than 100 μm were first deposited by CNTs using Ni-P electroless plating technique and then injected into the melt agitated by a mechanical stirrer.The slurry was subsequently cast at temperatures corresponding to full liquid as well as 0.15 and 0.30 solid fractions.The results show that addition of CNTs to A356 matrix can significantly refine both full liquid and semi-solid cast microstructures.Hardness of the samples is also significantly increased by addition of CNTs and A356-CNT composite cast at 0.3 solid fraction produces the highest hardness.

Preparation and characterization of different surface modified SiCp reinforced Al-matrix composites

The effects of SiCp surface modifications(Cu coating,Ni coating and Ni/Cu coating)on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Al matrix composites were investigated.Surface modification of SiC particles with Cu,Ni and Cu/Ni,respectively,was carried out by electroless plating method.SiCp/Al composites were prepared by hot pressed sintering followed by hot extrusion.The results show that the surface modification of SiC particles plays an effective role,which is relative to the type of surface coating,and the interfacial bonding become stronger in the following order:untreated SiCp<Ni(Cu)-coated SiCp<Ni/Cu-coated SiCp.The Ni/Cu-coated SiCp/Al composites exhibit the best comprehensive mechanical properties,with ultimate tensile strength(σUTS)and fracture strain(εf)of 389 MPa and 6.3%,respectively.Compared with that of untreated-SiCp/Al composites,theσUTS andεf are enhanced by 19.3%and 57.5%.

Preparation and characterization of molybdenum powders with copper coating by the electroless plating technique

Molybdenum powders with a diameter of approximately 3 μn were coated with copper using the electroless plating technique in the pH 12.5-13 and temperature range of 55-75℃. The optimization of the electroless copper bath was evaluated through the combination of process parameters like pH and temperature. The optimized values ofpH and temperature were found to be 12.5 and 60℃, respectively, which attributes to the bright maroon color of the coating with an increase in weight of 46%. The uncoated and coated powders were subjected to microstructural studies using scanning electron microscope （SEM） and the phases were analyzed using X-my diffrction （XRD）. An attempt was made to understand the growth mechanism of the coating. The diffusion-shrinkage autocatalytic model was suggested for copper growth on the molybdenum surface.

PREPARATION AND CORROSION RESISTANCE OF NiP/TiO_2 COMPOSITE FILM ON CARBON STEEL IN SULFURIC ACID SOLUTION

A NiP/TiO2 composite film on carbon steel was prepared by electroless plating and sol-gel composite process. An artificial neural network was applied to optimize the prepared condition of the composite film. Corrosion behavior of the NiP/TiO2 composite film was investigated by polarization resistance measurement, anode polarization, ESEM （environmental scanning electron microscopy） and EIS （electrochemical impedance spectroscopy） measurements. Results showed that the NiP/ TiO2 composite film has a good corrosion resistance in 0.5mol/L H2SO4 solution. The element valence of the composite film was characterized by XPS （X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy） spectrum, and an anticorrosion mechanism of the composite film was discussed.