Nickel Plating Solution Research Articles

Preparation mechanism and characterization of PET/Cu composite foils

PET/Cu composite foils are expected to have widespread applications due to their lightweight, good bendability and excellent electrical conductivity. However, efficiently and stably preparing copper cladding layers on the surface of PET film with good bonding to the substrate remains a challenge. In this study, by optimizing the process route and adopting a synergistic method involving electroless plating and electroplating, PET/Cu composite foils with excellent conductivity and robust bonding can be successfully prepared. The experimental results indicate that the optimal performance of PET/Cu composite foils is achieved when the PET substrate is roughened with KMnO4/H+ solution, activated with salt-based colloidal palladium, subsequently treated with a weak alkaline electroless nickel plating solution for 5 min, and plated copper at a current density of 0.4 A·dm−2. The adhesion strength of the PET/Cu composite foils meets the ASTM 5B standard and the electrical conductivity reaches up to 4.17 × 107 S/m. The method proposed in this study offers an efficient and concise approach for preparing high-quality PET/Cu composite foils that hold great potential for diverse applications in flexible copper clad laminates.

PTFE layer formation during brush electroplating of nickel

Brush electrodeposition of Ni/PTFE composite coatings was explored using a nickel high speed solution and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles 6–9 μm in diameter. A novel bilayer-like, partially intercalated structure was produced, consisting of a rough nickel sublayer covered by an outer, compact, smooth PTFE layer. The study of the coating growth revealed that the PTFE particles bind together on the nickel coating valleys and grow until all the surface is covered by a polymer layer without the need of a baking stage. The resulting coating presents a hydrophobic surface with a low coefficient of friction (0.10) and higher corrosion resistance to salt spray testing than the nodular nickel coating. The coatings were produced using an aqueous nickel plating solution, where the hydrophobic PTFE particles were suspended using different substances: cetrimonium bromide (CTAB) cationic surfactant, isopropyl alcohol premixed with the particles, and ethanol premixed with the particles. High concentrations of the suspending products were detrimental for the deposition process, but optimal values of 0.1 g/l, 3 ml/l and 3 ml/l respectively were found. All compounds successfully suspended the PTFE particles and both alcohols produced the Ni/PTFE coating described before, but the CTAB failed to co-deposit the polymer.

Gluconate solutions for nickel electrodeposition and nickel electroless plating

Nickel electroplating has found a wide range of industrial applications as a technique for creating protective and decorative coatings of metallic and non-metallic surfaces, protecting materials against corrosion at elevated temperatures in both alkaline environments and organic acid solutions, forming a sublayer for obtaining coatings of other metals on steel, enhancing the hardness and wear resistance of surfaces, as well as for improving solderability. Such coatings can be obtained from weakly acidic aqueous and weakly alkaline complex electrolytes. In this review, we analyze the available literature on complexation of nickel(+2) with D-gluconate ion CH2OH(CHOH)4COO‾, along with that on compositions and some technological characteristics of complex D-gluconate solutions for nickel electrodeposition and electroless plating. Thus, a corrosion-resistant smooth light-colored nickel coating, tightly adhered to a copper substrate, was obtained from an electrolyte with a pH level of 8, containing 53 g/dm3 of NiSO4 •6H2O, 44 g/dm3 of D-C6H11O7Na, 25 g/dm3 of H3BO3, 53 g/dm3 of (NH4)2SO4, and 0.5–3 g/dm3 of CO(NH2)2, at a temperature of 25 °C, a cathodic current density of 2.5 A/dm2 with a current efficiency of 96.4%. An electroless Ni-P(3–18 wt%) alloy coating on copper was obtained from a solution with a pH level of 9, containing 5–30 g/dm3 of NiSO4 •6H2O, 10–60 g/dm3 of D-C6H11O7Na, 5–40 g/dm3 of NaH2PO2 •H2O, 3 g/dm3 of HOOCCH2CH2COOH, 0.5 g/dm3 of CH3(CH2)11OSO3Na, 0.002 g/dm3 of Pb(CH3COO)2•3H2O, at a temperature of 90 °C and a deposition rate of up to 0.75 μm/min. The review also discusses methods for preparing D-gluconate electrolytes for nickel plating using sodium D-gluconate, D-glucono-1,5-lactone, and nickel D-gluconate. One advantage of D-gluconate nickel plating solutions consists in the absence of toxicity and low cost of D-gluconates.

A novel electroless nickel plating process for fabrication of optical fiber corrosion sensors

In this work, a novel silanization pre-treatment method has been successfully proposed to solve the problems of discontinuity and poor adhesion strength of electroless nickel plating using in the ultrasensitive optical fiber corrosion sensors. The chemically etched and hydroxylated optical fiber is simply treated with a mixed solution containing the hydrolyzed γ-APS with bifunctional group and PdCl2 before dipping into nickel plating solution. ATR-FTIR, AFM, SEM and theoretical calculations are applied to demonstrate the feasibility of the method and reaction mechanism. Results show that the –NH2 in γ-APS preferentially interacts with the Pd2+, while the Si-OH at the other end forms a covalent bond with the Si-OH on the optical fiber surface, forming a needle-like silane intercalation film by oriented adsorption. With this simple silanization pre-treatment method, a uniform and continuous electroless nickel plating can be successfully prepared. Our DFT calculations are good consistent with the experimental measurements.

Effect of bath temperature on electroplating of nickel on a copper substrate

ABSTRACT Nickel electroplating is known to be industrially effective for enhancing various substrate properties. In the present work, nickel coatings were developed on copper substrates by electroplating using standard nickel plating solution at various electrolyte bath temperatures ranging from 40 ± 2°C to 60 ± 2°C in steps of 10°C. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used to study the composition, phase structure and morphology of the coatings. The coatings were also analysed for hardness and porosity, and process current efficiency was measured. The electrolyte bath temperature has a profound effect on the nature of the developed nickel coatings, and is observed to have an impact on the surface morphology, crystallographic direction, and hardness, as well as deposition current efficiency.

Electrochemical activity of electroless Ni-P coatings in the hydrogen evolution reaction

The purpose of this study was investigation of the electrochemical activity of Ni-P coatings, differing in phosphorus content and structure, in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the identification of the reasons for their high activity in the reaction being studied. The coatings were deposited from an electroless nickel plating solution, the phosphorus content in the coatings (from 4.8 to 8.0 wt. %) varied by changing the pH of the solution. It was found that during cathodic polarization in 0.5 M H2SO4 additional surface activation occurs as a result of dissolution of the surface layer of the coating, removal of phosphorus from the surface layer, and development of the electrode surface. Of all the coatings studied coatings containing 4.8% phosphorus were most susceptible to cathodic activation. Coatings with a phosphorus content of 8.0% were least susceptible to cathodic activation. The similar electrochemical activity of the studied coatings (taking into account the roughness factor) in HER indicates that, as a result of cathodic polarization, the composition of the thin surface layer on which the cathodic reaction occurs is approximately the same, regardless of the initial phosphorus content

High-efficiency nickel recovery from spent electroless nickel plating solution: effective degradation of high-concentration nickel complexes to form a nickel ferrite nanomaterial via Fe3O4 catalytic oxidation

High-concentration organic nickel complexes were efficiently degraded and converted into NiFe2O4 nanomaterials via Fe3O4 catalytic oxidation under alkaline conditions, with high removal efficiency of nickel (99.99%) and TOC (81.94%), respectively.

DEVELOPMENT OF RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY FOR SPENT CHEMICAL NICKEL PLATING SOLUTION

Currently, the chemical nickel plating process is one of the most popular electroplating methods compared to others due to a number of advantages. However, the production process generates a significant amount of spent chemical nickel plating solutions, which poses a threat of environmental pollution. To solve this problem, the possibility of regenerating the spent solution of chemical nickel plating from one of the industrial enterprises of Udmurtia by the reagent method was studied. Sodium carbonate was chosen as the precipitant for nickel ions, the amount of which was determined from potentiometric titration curves; the most complete precipitation of nickel ions occurs at pH 10. It has been established by IR spectroscopy that nickel hydroxide salts are formed as a result of the interaction of the spent electrolyte with the precipitant. The results of thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis of the precipitate showed three endothermic effects: at temperatures up to 100 °C, it corresponds to dehydration; at 280±10 °C - to the removal of a part of chemisorbed water and carbonates; at 420 °C - to the final removal of water. As a result of heat treatment of the hydroxocarbonate precipitate, a black fine powder of nickel(II) oxide is obtained, the IR spectrum of which has a set of bands characteristic of this compound. Two variants of the technological scheme for the regeneration of spent electrolytes for the preparation of initial working solutions for chemical nickel plating from nickel(II) hydroxocarbonate and nickel oxide are proposed. The quality of the obtained solutions was checked by applying a nickel coating on brass products. The thickness of the coating was measured by scanning electron microscopy. It has been established that the highest quality coating is obtained using an electrolyte prepared from nickel hydroxocarbonate.

Integrating multi-method approaches for the green separation and retrieval of nickel and phosphorus from spent electroless nickel plating solutions

The spent electroless nickel plating (SENP) solution comprises abundant complexed nickel, hypophosphite, and phosphite ions, alongside scant organic additives.

Effect of Nanodiamond Content in the Plating Solution on the Corrosion Resistance of Nickel–Nanodiamond Composite Coatings Prepared on Annealed 45 Carbon Steel

A nickel-nanodiamond composite coating was prepared on the surface of annealed 45 carbon steel by double-pulse electrodeposition. The effect of nanodiamond particle content on the surface morphology, grain size and wear and corrosion resistance of the composite coating were investigated. According to the analysis of the test results of X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy, it was found that the cathodic polarization of the electrodeposition process was enhanced after the addition of nanodiamond particles to the Watts nickel plating solution. The positively charged nanodiamond particles on the surface facilitate the reduction reaction at the cathode. Nanodiamond particles provide crystalline growth sites for the non-spontaneous nucleation of nickel atoms. As the addition of nanodiamond particles increases, the diffusely distributed nanodiamond particles are able to attract more nickel ions to deposit nuclei, and its fine crystallization effect increases, resulting in improved wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the composite plating. Among the results, the polarization potential was the smallest when the nanodiamond content in the plating solution was 10 g/L. The surface of the prepared nickel-nanodiamond composite coating was relatively flat and smooth, with good density and a uniform grain size distribution, and the content of element C on the surface of the composite coating was the largest, reaching 1.99%.

Recovery of nickel from spent electroplating solution by hydrometallurgical and electrometallurgical process

Recovery of nickel from spent electro nickel plating solution has been investigated via hydro-metallurgical and electrometallurgical processes. Experimental consisted of 3 steps, including precipitation of nickel from spent solution, leaching of nickel precipitate, and electrowinning of nickel. Nickel precipitation was performed using sodium hydroxide. Leaching parameters such as 1 M to 3 M sulfuric acid concentration, 100 g×L-1 to 300 g×L-1 solid to liquid ratio, and 30 min to 180 min leaching time were investigated. The leachate from the optimal leaching condition was further used as an electrolyte in electrowinning process. Effects of 3.3 V to 3.7 V cell voltage on recovery and purity of nickel and current efficiency of the electrowinning process were investigated. The results showed that nickel precipitation could be performed by using 2 M sodium hydroxide to adjust the solution to pH ³13. For leaching, dissolution of nickel precipitate of higher than 90% was achieved at the optimum leaching condition of 2 M sulfuric acid, solid to liquid ratio of 100:1 g×L-1 and leaching time of 60 min. Electrowinning of nickel applying the cell voltage of 3.5 V for 24 h showed the greatest nickel recovery of about 61%, giving nickel purity of 99% while the current efficiency of electrowinning cell of approximately 16% can be achieved.

Optimization of the Preparation Parameters of High-Strength Nickel Layers by Electrodeposition on Mild Steel Substrates.

The electrodeposition process parameters were optimized for the acquisition of high-strength monolithic nickel layers on Q235A substrates based on the Watts nickel plating solution using the DC electrodeposition method. Based on the study of the electrochemical polarization behavior of nickel ions in Watts’ plating solution, 16 experimental protocols were selected according to the orthogonal test method. The residual stress, microhardness, modulus of elasticity, and surface roughness of the nickel plating were tested by X-ray diffractometer, nano-mechanical test system, and surface profilometer, respectively, to investigate the influence of current density, temperature, and PH on the mechanical properties of nickel plating, so as to determine the best process solution for the preparation of high-strength nickel plating. The results of the study show that the mechanical properties of the nickel deposits electrodeposited onto Q235A are optimized when plating at a current density of 3 A/dm2, a bath temperature of 45 °C, and a pH of 3.5. The nickel-plated layer has a minimum grain size of 34.8 nm, a microhardness of 3.86 GPa, a modulus of elasticity of 238 GPa, and a surface roughness Ra of 0.182 μm.

Design of a scheelite production pilot plant for the treatment of spent electroless nickel plating solutions in Field Service Solution S.A.S.: an alternative source for tungsten recycling

In this contribution, the design considerations to assemble a pilot-plant for tungsten recovery and further conversion into synthetic scheeliteas raw material, as an eco-friendly improvement for the current electroless nickel process in Field Service Solution (FES) S. A. S., arepresented. This low-cost methodology scale-up aims to provide an alternative treatment for spent electroless nickel solutions (Ni-P-W) asa secondary tungsten source. The plant is projected to treat up to 750 L of industrial waste per week, achieving a maximum scheeliteproduction of 9.1 kg per week. This prototype serves as a model of eco-sustainability in the nickel-plating industry by controlling thedisposal of heavy metals and by facilitating the production of other tungsten derivatives and their feasible reuse in the process.

Comparative investigation of different types of nickel foam samples for application in supercapacitors and other electrochemical devices

Nickel foam is widely used as a current lead/current collector and the basis of nickel hydroxide electrodes for various electrochemical devices – batteries, hybrid supercapacitors, devices for electrocatalytic oxidation of organic substances. The characteristics of commercial samples of nickel foam produced by Novomet-Perm (Russian Federation) obtained by electroless and then electrochemical nickel plating and Linyi Gelon LIB Co Ltd (China) obtained by electroless nickel plating were studied. The nature of passivity was determined by forming model samples of electrochemical and electroless nickel on a steel base. For the passive sample, activation was carried out by applying a layer of electrochemical nickel from an impact nickel plating solution. Activated, non-activated samples of nickel foam, as well as model samples, were studied by the methods of cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling in the supercapacitor mode. Comparative analysis of Chinese-made and Russian-made nickel foam samples showed significant passivity of the former – in cyclic voltammetry, the activity was 4.8 times lower, with galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling – 2.59 times lower. It was suggested that high passivity was determined by the fact that the sample consisted of Ni-P or Ni-B alloy. This assumption was proved by the method of natural simulation. The electrochemical activity of electroless nickel was 1.25 times lower than that of electrochemical nickel (according to cyclic voltammetry data) and 1.58 times lower (according to galvanostatic cycling data). For the first time, Chinese-made nickel foam (electroless nickel) was activated by applying a layer of electrochemical nickel from an impact nickel electrolyte. The high activation efficiency was shown as follows – on the cyclic curve, the specific current of the anodic peak increased 8.71 times, and with galvanostatic cycling, the increase in specific capacity was from 1.73 times (at i=120 mA/cm2) to 4.84 times (at i=20 mA/cm2)

Исследование и моделирование процесса подавления биодеградации растворов для химического никелирования

The paper considers proliferation of filamentous fungi in electroless nickel plating baths. We determined that it leads to decomposition of processing media and decreased coating deposition rates. We developed a mathematical model for suppressing filamentous fungi growth in electroless nickel plating solutions in the presence of various inhibitors. The model allows us to predict microorganism proliferation rate under the conditions specified. We used experimental data and mathematical simulation as the basis for investigating processing media biodegradation in electroless nickel plating. Our mathematical simulation showed that it is possible to use the Verhulst model to describe the growth kinetics of filamentous fungi colonies. It also allowed us to determine the parameters of the process kinetics, to predict bath electrolyte stability and select efficient inhibitors. We validate our selection of inhibitor substances (copper sulphate, sodium tetraborate, lactic acid, sodium propionate, chloroform) that have a fungistatic or fungicidal effect on biological object proliferation. We developed a mathematical model for the process of inhibiting processing media biodegradation in electroless nickel plating by means of various substances. We substantiate the ambiguity of selecting the initial condition for stating the Cauchy problem in the mathematical description of the process. We present and analyse the results of mathematically simulating the process under consideration. We found sodium tetraborate to be the most efficient biological object proliferation inhibitor, since, as its concentration increases to 50 mmol/l, there is no deterioration in the coating quality; at the same time, the coating deposition rate increases and the necessary fungicidal effect

Influence of Silica Particle Size on the Corrosion Behavior of Electroplated Silica-Ni Hybrid Layer.

Silica–Ni hybrid layers were electroplated on a Q235 steel plate in a Watt nickel plating solution with varying sizes of silica, and a pure nickel layer was prepared as a blank sample. The surface morphology, composition, and crystal structure of the electroplated layers were examined using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and a X-ray diffractor (XRD). The corrosion resistance of the samples was evaluated by the experiments of potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and salt spray test in NaCl solutions. The results showed that the smaller the particle size of silicon, the higher the content of silicon in the layer was, and the better the corrosion resistance of the layer was. However, when the particle size is 10 nm, agglomeration would happen, which leads to a decrease in the corrosion resistance performance, 50 nm silica–Ni hybrid layer showed the optimal corrosion resistance with the highest silica content.

Highlighting the Use of Brush Plating for Plating on Titanium, Nickel Plating, and Metal Matrix Composite Materials

Selective or brush plating is an application method for electrodeposition which can be used for coating an array of pure metals, alloys, and composite materials. The ‘brush’ in brush plating describes a porous, non-conductive, flexible material which wraps the anode to keep it separated from the part to be plated. The plating solution is applied by rubbing the anode, covered with the brush material and saturated by the plating solution, against the area to be plated. This is done in lieu of dipping the entire part in a large tank of plating solution. Brush plating has seen its most advantageous use in plating smaller areas of larger parts because the amount of masking used can be reduced, and smaller volumes of solution can be utilized compared to traditional tank plating methods. Brush plating is portable and repair plating can be performed in the field, sometimes without even disassembling equipment. Brush plating is currently used for numerous specialty applications in the fields of aerospace, oil and gas, marine environments, manufacturing, and many others.The process of brush plating will be presented in terms common to all electroplating processes. The effects of facets particular to brush plating shall be clarified in terms of their contributions to the molecular level and to the properties of the resulting deposit. Applying solution by brushing it onto a part leads to different formulations of the plating solution compared to other plating methods. The application method (brushing) promotes fast solution replenishment at the electrode surface and dissipation of species generated by side reactions at the work surface. The type of brush material used on the anode will affect the type of surface finish or even the structure of the deposited material.The presentation will include a summary of a brush plating process for depositing nickel pre-plate on titanium with strong adhesion, highlighting advancements made to the plating process for a classic sulfamate nickel plating solution formulation, and evaluating differences in solution composition focusing on particle loading.M. Rubinstein, Electrochemical Metallizing, Vinmar Press, New York, NY (1987)D. Vanek, Met. Finish., 108, 25-32 (2010) Figure 1

Fabrication of the Ni-W-SiC thin film by pulse electrodeposition

The present work reports the preparation of Ni-W-SiC thin films obtained by pulse current (PC) electrodeposition using a watt-type nickel plating solution, which contains SiC nanoparticles (NPs). Effects of the initial SiC NP concentration on the morphology, structure, crystal size, microhardness, and corrosion resistance of the resulting Ni-W-SiC thin films were investigated using by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), microhardness tests, and electrochemical workstation. The results indicated that the surface of Ni-W-SiC films that were treated using 9 g/L SiC NPs had a fine-grained, smooth, and very uniform surface. Incorporating SiC NPs into the Ni-W-SiC thin-film influenced the metal grain sizes and microhardness of the layers. When the concentration of SiC NPs was 9 g/L, the average crystal size was 67 nm, and the microhardness was 881.7 HV. Moreover, the as-obtained film produced with a concentration of 9 g/L SiC had the minimum corrosion current value of 1.5 × 10−3 mA/cm2, which demonstrates its excellent corrosion resistance.

Compo­sition, structure and properties of electroless deposited nickel – phosphorus – copper coatings

The nickel – phosphorus – copper functional coating was deposited on aluminum alloys substrate by chemical deposition method from malonate­glycinate nickel plating solution. The chemical and phase coatings composition was studied by X­ray fluorescence and X­ray phase analyze. Thermally stimulated phase transitions in deposited Ni – P – Cu coating were detected by differential scanning calorimetry method. The annealing at 250 and 400 °С was shown to lead to the changes in coating structure involving the transition from amorphous to amorphous­crystalline at 250 °С and to crystalline at 400 °С with Ni and Ni3P1 – δ phases forming. Changes in the structure of Ni–P coating results in the increase of microhardness by 1.6–1.7 times and wear resistance by 3– 4 times. Annealing at 400 °С led to decreasing of corrosion stability of the coatings in 3.5 % sodium chloride solution. The optimum physical, mechanical and protective properties has the attained in the case of Ni – P – Cu coating annealed at 250 °C.

Effect of Na4P2O7·10H2O as complexing agent on deposition behavior and property of electroless Ni-P coating on ZK61M magnesium alloy

The electroless Ni-P coating was prepared on ZK61M magnesium alloy by using Na4P2O7·10H2O as main complexing agent and NiSO4·6H2O as main salt in the electroless nickel plating solution. The effects of Na4P2O7·10H2O on deposition rate, growth progress and corrosion resistance of the Ni-P coating were investigated systematically in this study. The properties of the plating were characterized by the measurements including, scanning electronic microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical polarization and immersion tests in 5% NaCl solution. The results showed that the initial uniform deposition of the plating on the HF-activated substrate was achieved by using Na4P2O7·10H2O as the main complexing agent. The deposition rate showed an obvious upward trend with the increment on the concentration of Na4P2O7·10H2O. It was worth noting that the content of phosphorus reached more than 7 wt% in Ni-P coating while the concentration of Na4P2O7·10H2O was higher than 40 g L−1. Most importantly, the plating with an obvious microcrystal structure had excellent corrosion resistance. Moreover, no corrosion on the surface was observed while the sample was immersed into 5% NaCl solution for 12 h. The self-corrosion potential of the Ni-P coating exceeded −0.5 V. The self-corrosion current could be reduced about 2 orders of magnitude comparing to magnesium alloy substrate.