Influence of Initial Surface Roughness on the Deposition and Adhesion of Electroless Ni-P Plating on 6H-SiC Substrate

•This research has provided evidence supporting the importance of maintaining a moderate amount of substrate roughness•The substrates with a higher degree of roughness facilitated an accelerated rate of deposition, resulting in the formation of a thicker layer of Ni-P.•The anticipated findings of this study are expected to contribute to the improvement of molds manufacturing procedures for PGM. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of substrate surface roughness on the deposition and adhesion properties of electroless Nickel-Phosphorus (Ni-P) plating on 6H-SiC substrates, which is a typical mold material for Precision Glass Molding (PGM). This research investigated the impact of surface roughness at different levels. These levels range from polished surfaces with Ra∼58 nm to non-polished surfaces with Ra∼813 nm, affecting both the electroless Ni-P plating process and the quality of the resulting layers. The study reveals that the initial roughness of the substrate significantly influences the final surface profile of electroless Ni-P plating. This is evidenced by the highest roughness of approximately Ra∼1.32 µm observed on the most uneven substrate. Conversely, substrate characterized by an initial roughness of Ra∼160 nm has a reduced post-plating roughness of Ra∼583 nm and contribute to the smoothness of surface. While the observed surface morphology indicates a decrease in the deposition rates. Additionally, the Rockwell C indentation tests indicate that substrates characterized by lower roughness are susceptible to adhesion difficulties, particularly in the form of peeling at the plating-substrate interface.