Structure, microstructure and corrosion properties of brush-plated Cu–Ni alloy

Abstract

Cu–Ni alloy coatings on copper substrate by the brush-plating process have been investigated using XRD and AFM. The X-Ray diffraction analysis revealed that the brush-plated Cu–Ni alloy was heterogeneous and composed of cubic Cu3.8Ni phases. Uniform surface coverage of the substrate by granular morphology was observed from AFM. The corrosion protection performance of the brush-plated Cu–Ni alloy on copper substrate has been assessed using electrochemical corrosion tests. These results indicated a high charge transfer and low I corr for the alloy system compared with copper deposits and the copper substrate.