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-----Nickel (only!) Plating onto Aluminium
I am trying to find a method of depositing up to 5 microns of Ni onto an Aluminium (pure) substrate. I wish to do this without using electroless techniques (no P or B in the coating) nor 'zincating'. I have tried cleaning in HNO3 solutions and using both the woods strike bath and a sulphamate bath but to no avail - found that Cl and Al aren't the best of bed fellows!.
Are there any Ni baths out there which I can formulate and are are slightly alkali in composition?
Any comments/thoughts appreciated!
Many thanks
Mark Craig,
PhD Student, Cranfield University, UK
Student - Cranfield, UK
2007
First of two simultaneous responses --
Check with brush plating reputed vendors (the best advertise here). They have special activating solutions and processes w/o zinc as well as neutral or slightly alkaline nickel formulas. Remember tht a superior initial condition of the aluminum surface is of utmost importance (particularly regarding pitts).
Guillermo MarrufoMonterrey, NL, Mexico
2007
Second of two simultaneous responses -- 2007
Brush platers achieve a reasonable adhesion of nickel to aluminum. Tank platers need to use a minimum of a zincate.
Brush plating is not uniform in thickness.
I believe that in your country that it is referred to as tampon plating.
- Navarre, Florida
One thing I dabbled with some years ago was jet plating - using a high velocity lamellar jet of electrolyte onto a target. There are numerous technical difficulties with the technology, but it has been around for many years after being invented by NASA. It is also known as "high speed metal deposition". I was reasonably successful in putting nickel onto aluminium and I hadn't even bothered to pretreat the aluminium, not even cleaning it! It is quite feasible to achieve electrolytic deposition rates of 1 micron per second with reasonably conventional nickel solutions. The technique needs refining, but it may be suitable for your needs.
Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
2007
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