EFFECTS OF AGITATION ON CONVENTIONAL ELECTROLESS PLATING - IMPLICATIONS FOR PRODUCTION OF NI-P COMPOSITE COATINGS

Studies of agitation produced by magnetic stirring, aeration and nitrogen bubbling were made on a conventional nickel-phosphorus plating bath at pH 4.5 and temperature 85-degrees-C. Polarization curves were used to obtain the preferred stirring parameters for the production of composite coatings. The effects produced were assessed by measurement of rate of deposition, analysis for nickel and phosphorus by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, and examination of surface topography of the coatings by scanning electron microscopy. The results are compared with those obtained for still solutions pre-saturated with air, oxygen and nitrogen. The implications for production of Ni-P-composite coatings are considered.