Process aspects of electroless deposition for nickel-zinc-phosphorous alloys

Electroless deposition of Ni–Zn–P thin film was considered as a barrier film on a galvanic Zn or Ni–Zn sacrificial layer in a multicomponent corrosion protective coating on steel. The incorporation of zinc on the chemical composition of electroless Ni–Zn–P coating was studied. The effect of operating conditions such as temperature, pH value and concentration of zinc sulphate was investigated. Some physical characteristics such as morphology, structure, corrosion properties of Ni–Zn–P coatings were assessed in parallel with those of Ni–P. Inclusion of Zn to Ni–P is accompanied by the transformation of the coating structure from amorphous to crystalline. The effect of adding nonionic surfactant to the plating solution on the composition and surface morphologies was also investigated. The results indicate that nonionic surfactant has no effect on the Zn % in the deposit layer, but it affects the surface morphology and improves the corrosion resistance of Ni–Zn–P layers. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.