Surface pretreatment of Mg alloys prior to Al electroplating in TMPAC-AlCl_3 ionic liquids

It is difficult to directly electroplate Al on Mg alloys. The effects of pretreatment parameters on the corrosion resistance of films obtained on AZ31 Mg alloy surface were studied by using potentiodynamic polarization curves, to produce a compact interfacial layer as zinc-immersion deposition. After the substrate was pretreated under optimized conditions, aluminum was electrodeposited on AZ31 from TMPAC-AlCl3 room temperature ionic liquids. The depositions were characterized by scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersion X-ray. The results show that the traditional pretreatment of Mg alloys was successfully used for the Al-electroplating process from TMPAC-AlCl3 ionic liquids. The entire procedure includes alkaline cleaning, chemical pickling, surface activation （400 mL/L HF acid, 10 min）, zinc-immersion （20 min） and anhydrous treatment. A relatively compact zinc-immersion film was prepared on the substrate surface. A silvery-colored satin aluminum deposition was obtained on AZ31 from TMPAC-AlCl3 using direct current plating.

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.

Electroplating process of amorphous Fe-Ni-Cr alloy

A novel process of electroplating amorphous Fe Cr Ni alloy in chloride aqueous solution with Fe(Ⅱ), Ni(Ⅱ) and Cr(Ⅲ) was reported. Couple plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP AES), X ray diffractometry(XRD), scanning electronic microscopy(SEM), microhardness test and rapid heating cooling method were adopted to detect the properties of the amorphous Fe Ni Cr deposit, such as composition, crystalline structure, micrograph, hardness, and adherence between deposit and substrate. The effects of the operating parameters on the electrodeposit of the amorphous Fe Ni Cr alloy were discussed in detail. The results show that a 8.7?μm thick mirror like amorphous Fe Ni Cr alloy deposit, with Vicker’s hardness of 530 and composition of 45%～55% Fe, 33%～37% Ni, 9%～23% Cr was obtained by electroplating for 20?min at room temperature(10～30?℃), cathode current 10～16?A/dm 2, pH=1.0～3.0. The XRD patterns show that there only appears a broad hump around 2 θ of 41?°～47?°for the amorphous Fe Ni Cr alloy deposit, while the SEM micrographs show that the deposit contains only a few fine cracks but no pinholes.

Electroplating of Zr-Ti Alloy

The electrodeposition of Zr-Ti alloy has been studied in molten fluoride system consisting of fluorides of both zirconium and titanium dissolved in FLINAK (KF:NaF:LiF = 42.0:11.5:46.5 mol). A coherent dense deposit of the alloy with a smooth surface is obtained on different material substrates. X-ray diffraction has demonstrated that the alloy deposit is a Ti-Zr solid solution with Ti mainly and its preferred orientation is strongly along Ti[110] direction. The properties of the deposit are better than those of a pure zirconium coating. The optimum operating parameters are a temperature of about 800°C, a current density less than 40mA/cm2, a solution about 15wt% ZrF4 and 15wt% K2TiF6 in FLINAK as well as pure zirconium as anode material.

ELECTROPLATING OF AMORPHOUS Al-Mn ALLOYS(Ⅱ) KINETIC FEATURES OF ELECTRODEPOSITION OF Al-Mn ALLOYS

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Electroplating Zn-Al Alloy Technology

The method of controlling separating anode and separating power source was used to perform orthogonal optimization for the parameters in electroplating Zn Al alloy.The electroplating Zn-Al alloy technology was decided, in which the content of Al is about 12%-15% .

Mechanism of current efficiency improvement of Zn-Fe alloy electroplating by hydrogen inhibitor

The effect of hydrogen inhibitor on partial current densities ofZn, Fe and differential capacitance of electrode/electrolyte interface, and adsorbing type of hydrogen inhibitor were studied by the methods of electrochemistry. The mechanism of current efficiency improvement were explained from the point of valence electron theory. The results indicate that the partial current density of Fe increases in addition of hydrogen inhibitor, which reaches the maximum of 0.14 A/dm^2 when current density is 0.2 A/din〈 Differential capacitance of electrode/electrolyte interface decreases obviously from 20.3μF/cm^2 to 7 μF/cm^2 rapidly with the concentration varying from 0 to 20 mL/L, because hydrogen inhibitor chemically adsorbs on active points of Fe electrode surface selectively. Element S in hydrogen inhibitor with negative electricity and strong capacity of offering electron shares isolated electrons with Fe. The adsorption of H atom is inhibited when adsorbing on active points of Fe electrode surface firstly, and then current efficiency of Zn-Fe alloy electroplating is improved accordingly.

Electroplating zinc transition layer for electroless nickel plating on AM60 magnesium alloys

Electroplating zinc coating as transition layer of electroless nickel plating on AM60 magnesium alloys was investigated. The zinc film can be deposited in a pyrophosphate bath at 50-60℃under current density of 0.5-1.5 A/dm2. A new fore treatment technology was applied by acid cleaning with a solution containing molybdate and phosphorous acid, by alkaline cleaning in a bath containing molybdate and sodium hydroxide. The subsequent electroless plating was carried out in nickel sulfate bath. The SEM observation shows that the deposition is uniform and compact. The polarization curve measurements show that the corrosion potential of the zinc plating in 3.5% NaCl is about -1.3 V(vs SCE) which is noble than that of magnesium substrate. The zinc electroplating can be applied as the pretreatment process for electroless nickel plating on magnesium alloys.

Preparation of Amorphous Film on Ni-S Alloy by Electroplating Method

Beginning from the formation of amorphous alloy film and its use of proAnse, this paper obtains the Ni-S amorphous alloy film by electroplating method using a bath containing Na2S2O3, and considers the deposition conditions in detail. The composition of Ni-S alloy film changes with the cathodic current density, Na2S2O3 content in the bath solution and bath pH, but the structure of the film is detendned by the sulphur content in the deposit. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that films containing about 15-30% sulphur consist of amorphous alloy. In addition, the process of Ni-S alloy film deposition and the relation between the plating conditions and deposits were studied.

THE PREPARATION AND APPLICATION OF ELECTROPLATEDSHEET CONTAINING RS ALUMINUM ALLOY POWDERS

Baded on the study of nickel electroplating technology at room temperature, the plated sheet containing rapidly solidified Al-Fe-Cu- V-Si-Ni-Ce-Zr aluminum alloy powders is constructed successfully. The powders and nickel matrix are combined well in the sheet. It can be used to prepare the observation specimen for TEM and determine the hardness of single powder particle as solidified and after heat-treated. The advantages of this method are the realization of heat treatment of powders and the TEM observation of non-interfered microstructure of powders in the size of several microns.

Electron beam braze-welding of vanadium alloy to stainless steel with electroplated Cu/Ag coatings

Cracks may easily occur in the fusion weld between vanadium alloys and stainless steel due to the brittle intermetallics and welding stress. The high vacuum electron beam braze-welding has been successfully used to join vanadium alloy（V-5Cr-STi） to stainless steel （HR-2） with electroplated Cu and Ag coating. To investigate the effects of electroplated coating on the weldability, the joint appearaace, the microstrueture and the mechanical properties of the joints have been thoroughly analyzed. The results show that the joint surface configuration was good and root reinforcement was full and smooth. A reaction zone （RZ） was gained on the interface between the V-5 Cr-5 Ti alloy and HR-2 stainless steel base metals. The width of reaction zone at the top of the joint was up to O. 65 mm, wider than that in the bottom of the joint （ 0.46 mm）. The reaction zone consisted of considerably smaller dendritic structures with an average grain size of less than 10μm. Element Ag and Cu almost enriched the interface between V-SCr-5Ti alloy substrate and RZ, serving as a physical barrier which decreases or avoids the formation of intermetallics. The maximum tensile strength of vanadium alloy^stainless steel dissimilar alloy joint was more than 300 MPa. The joint was defects free.

Effect of Co-Deposited Iron on Microstructures and Properties of Electroplated Nanocrystalline Nickel-Iron Alloys

Nickel-iron nanocrystalline alloys with different compositions and grain sizes were fabricated by electroplating for MEMS devices. The iron content of the deposits was changed by varying the nickel/iron ion ratio in the electrolyte. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was applied for measuring the strength of the texture and grain size of the deposits. The nickel/iron atom ratio of the deposits was analyzed by EDS. The hardness of the alloys was evaluated by Vickers hardness indenter. The internal stress of the deposits was measured by thin film stress measurement using Stoney's formula. Surface morphology and roughness were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Hardness and internal stress mechanism of the electroplated structure as a function of Fe ion content and current density were revealed. With increasing the iron content, the hardness and internal stress of the deposits increase. An excellent correlation between the increase in the internal stress and the loss of (200) texture were found.

Study on determination method of iron content in galvanized coating of zinc-iron alloy

The iron content in the galvanized coating of zinc-iron alloy was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and two kinds of X-ray fluorescence(XRF)methods.Results show that the chemical method exhibits the highest accuracy.However,this method presents low detection efficiency and is thus unsuitable for production quality control.Fundamental parameter and empirical coefficient methods in XRF can be used for the quality control of iron content in the galvanized coating of zinc-iron alloys.The repeatability of the two XRF methods was 0.2%and 0.4%,respectively,which were better than that of the chemical method(0.6%).However,the two XRF methods have their own limitations.The accuracy of the two XRF methods depends on the process stability of different units and may be poorer than that of the chemical method.Thus,the use of the two XRF methods should be carefully restricted.

Corrosion resistance of electroplated Zn-Co alloy coating

By the NSS test and the test in SO 2 gas atmosphere and detecting the  corr - t curves, R p- t curves and the cyclic voltammogram curves, the corrosion resistance of the electroplated Zn Co alloy coating was studied. The corrosion resistance of the electroplated Zn Co alloy coating is three times higher than that of the galvanized coating. Because the corrosion resistance of the Zn Co alloy coating is especially remarkable in SO 2 gas atmosphere, it is particularly fit to be used as a protective coating in industrial atmosphere. The reason why the Zn Co alloy coating has such a high corrosion resistance is that its corrosive product has a comparatively great role in depressing the corrosive process.

Study on Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of Ni-P-La Alloy Coatings

Ni-P and Ni-P-La alloy coatings were prepared by electroplating. Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness under the different components of rare earth or the different operating conditions was tested by the network analyzer. The results show that electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of Ni-P-La alloy coating varies from 45 dB to 70 dB with the variety of the frequency from 10 MHz to 350 MHz. Corrosion of the salt fog impacts on the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness a little. A small amount of rare earth added to plating bath can not only enhance corrosion resistance of coating, but make electromagnetic shielding effectiveness increase by 1 ~ 5 dB.

On the Role of Boric Acid in the Copper-Tin Alloy Bath

The role of boric acid in the copper tin alloy bath has been investigated by means of the cathodic polarization curves,cyclic voltammograms,rate of alloy electrodeposition and morphological analysis of deposits.The results indicate that the presence of boric acid in weak acidic solution for electrodeposition of Cu Sn alloy raises the overvoltage of hydrogen discharge and lowers the overvoltage of Cu,Sn and Cu Sn alloy deposition on the Pt,and accelerates the rate of depostion.Boric acid was adsorbed on the surface of cathode and inhibited reduction of hydrogen,then the adsorbed boric acid promoted electrodeposition of metals as a catalyzator.However,as the concentration of boric acid is more than 0.50 mol/L,the above effect was weakened due to the complexation reaction between the excessive boric acid and metallic ions.

One-step pickling-activation before magnesium alloy plating

A one-step pickling-activation process was proposed as an environmental friendly pretreatment method in phosphate-permanganate solution before electroplating on magnesium alloys. The effects of pickling-activation on qualities of coating were assessed by adhesion and porosity testing of copper plating. The interfacial reactions between specimen and solution were analyzed with SEM,EDX and XRD. The results show that the developed process of pickling-activation can equalize the potentials on substrate surface. The compacted zinc film can be obtained by zinc immersion after treating magnesium alloy in the pH 4-6 phosphate-permanganate solution for 3-5 min. The adhesion and corrosion resistance of copper plating are enhanced. The one-step pickling-activation can replace the existing two-step process of acid pickling and activation which contains a great deal of chromium and fluorine. The procedure of surface pretreatment is simplified and the production environment is improved.

Electrodeposition of Fe-Ni alloy coating on ferritic stainless steel

Fe-Ni alloy coatings were electrodeposited on ferritic stainless steel(FSS)in solutions containing FeSO4 and NiSO4.The effects of pH,[Fe2 +]/[Ni 2+](molar ratio)of electroplating solutions and cathode current density on deposition rate and surface appearances of the coatings were investigated.The results indicated that the deposition rate of the coating in solution with [Fe 2+ ]/[Ni 2+ ]of 0.4 slightly increased with increasing pH from 2.5 to 3.5 under the current density of 5.5 mA/cm 2 ,and then the deposition rate of the coating in solution with pH 4.0 began to decrease.The deposition rate also slightly increased with pH up to 3.5 under higher cathode current densities of 13.5 and 27 mA/cm2.Under 13.5 mA/cm 2,however,the coating deposited in solution with pH 4 was prone to crack or flake.The deposition rate increased and the surface of coatings became less smooth with increasing cathode current density.The effect of the ratio of[Fe2 +]to[Ni 2+]on deposition rate was not obvious.With increasing the ratio of [Fe2 +]to[Ni 2+]in plating solution,the content of Fe in the coatings increased;while the Ni content in the coatings decreased with the increase in the ratio of[Fe 2+ ]to[Ni 2+ ].The deposited coating consisted of Fe-Ni alloy phase.

Specimen preparation of aluminum alloy powders for transmission electron microscopy

By nickel electroplating at room temperature, the specimen preparation of ultra sonic gas atomized aluminum alloy powders for observation in transmission electron microscope was carried out. The advantages of this technique are simple technologically and convenient practically. The nickel and the powders combine well in the plated sheet which can be thinned by ion milling. The powders in the thinned sheet possess large thinned area and can be examined in common TEM for the studies of their microstructure.

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.