Abrasive-Assisted Electroforming of Nickel on Translational Cathode

Abstract

Spherical abrasives were employed to polish the growing deposited layer during nickel electroforming process. On a translational flat cathode, nickel deposits with distinct polishing mark were obtained. It was found that the abrasive polishing can help to improve the microstructure and increase the mechanical properties of the nickel deposits. Compared with the deposits prepared with traditional method, the microstructure became more homogeneous and the microhardness increased nearly two times. The increase of current density led to coarse structure and lower microhardness.