No registration or passwords; no pop-up ads -- just aloha, fun, & answers.
(as an eBay Partner & Amazon Affiliate earns from qualifying purchases).
Home /
T.O.C.
Fun
FAQs
Good
Books
Ref.
Libr.
Advertise
 
Help
Wanted
Current
Q&A's
Site 🔍
Search
pub  Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989



-----

Plating Electroless Nickel onto a Silver Substrate




Q. Can anybody tell me if electroless nickel can be plated on silver substrate? Is any pre-treatment necessary to condition silver before immersing the sample in electroless nickel/phosphorous solution?

Thanks a lot for your attention.

Madhhumita Datta
Laboratory of Physical Sciences - College Park, Maryland
1998


A. A normal prep cycle for silver will do. EN will not plate, without help, onto silver. A palladium immersion coat will work. More practical is a nickel strike and rapidly rinse and get into the EN, or put the prepped part into the EN and make the part cathodic for a few seconds with some type of anode in the tank that you remove after the EN kicks off.

Lowenheim's "Modern Electroplating" [adv: this book on AbeBooks, eBay, Amazon] has a few sentences on it.

Most other references have nothing.

Not many people would have a need for EN over silver.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
1998


A. Acidic hypo EN does not work on Ag, but ammonia [on eBay or Amazon] hypo EN does. Substrate surface should be polished, or degreased and soaked in a Thiourea [on eBay or Amazon]-type lightener. Rinse with DI water and plate immediately.

Alex Kozlov
- New Jersey
1998




Q. We are trying to use electroless nickel on silver epoxy (silver paste), but can't do it, can any expert tell me how to do it?

Chris Chu
- China
November 25, 2018



November 2018

"Electroless Plating"
by Mallory & Hajdu

on AbeBooks

or eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

A. Hi cousin Chris. It seems to me that James is implying that silver is not catalytic to electroless nickel (and the Lowenheim book he references agrees with him). Alex is saying that it will work with an ammonia based (alkaline) EN process, and Mallory & Hajdu note that boron-based EN on surface mounted capacitors primed with silver paste is widely done.

If you still want to use an acid hypophosphite EN, an alternative might be 'sparking' the process (applying plating electricity for a few seconds to start the deposition process), but while that might be applicable to a large structure, it's probably of no help if you are doing surface mounted electronic components.

So please give us details including what the parts are that you wish to plate, and what type of EN solution you are trying to use, and what you have learned from your efforts to date. Thanks!

Regards,

pic of Ted Mooney
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey




Conductive Polymer as catalyst for electroless plating

Q. Can we use the conductive polymer as a catalyst in an electroless plating?

DINESH Cherekar
- Mumbai, India
November 24, 2018



November 2018

A. Hi Dinesh. I believe there is probably no abstract reason preventing it.

But assuming I am right, then your question will sort of devolve into "Is an unknown conductive substance catalytic for an unspecified metal in an unspecified electroless plating process?" And that is, of course, unanswerable. So please introduce yourself and the actual situation. Thanks.

Regards,

pic of Ted Mooney
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
(My mother wanted me to be a dentist)


(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories:

 
Jobshops
Capital
Equipment
Chemicals &
Consumables
Consult'g, Train'g
& Software


About/Contact  -  Privacy Policy  -  ©1995-2024 finishing.com, Pine Beach, New Jersey, USA  -  about "affil links"