Effect of complexing/buffering agent on the characteristics of a high phosphorous electroless nickel coating

It is well known that phosphorous content in the coatings produced by electroless nickel plating plays an important role to obtain high wear and corrosion resistance. A coating with more than 10 wt.% phosphorous is considered superior to stainless steel and almost as resistant as hard chromium. Many industrial applications require these combinations of properties. The formulation of electroless nickel plating solutions is the base to obtain a coating with an adequate content of phosphorous. The aim of this work was to study the effect of several complexing/buffering agents on the characteristics of a high phosphorous electroless nickel coating, in order to formulate a solution able to produce nickel coatings with a phosphorous content between 10 and 12 wt.%. Four complexing/buffering agents were used: ammonium citrate, propionic acid, lactic acid, and acetic acid. Lead acetate was selected as a stabilizer and its replenishment was determined experimentally. In order to know the effect of each compound solutions combining two and three of them were prepared and tested. The phosphorous content and the plating rate were measured, and the surface finishing and brightness were also evaluated. Finally, the useful life of the best formulation was tested up to 5.6 metal turnovers.

Keywords: Acorn extract, Natural antioxidant, Oxidation, Meat burger.

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