Study on factors affecting the nickel plating process on titanium alloy substrates

Abstract

This paper presents the results of research on the factors influencing the electroless nickel plating process on BT6 titanium alloy. Prior to plating, the titanium alloy surface is activated, etched, and zincated using a solution consisting of ZnF₂ (85 g/L), HF (40%, (60 g/L), and Ethylene glycol (500 mL/L) at a temperature of 25 °C for 1 minute. The electroless nickel plating is performed using a solution of NiCl₂ (10 ÷ 50 g/L), KF (10 g/L), and Glycine (30 g/L) with a pH of 2.8 ÷ 3.2. Research results indicate that at a NiCl₂ salt content of 20 ÷ 30 g/L and a plating time of 10 ÷ 15 minutes, the coating surface is quite smooth and uniform, with nickel crystals tightly adhered to the surface. Post-plating heat treatment conducted between 400 ÷ 415 °C promotes the formation of intermetallic phases and transition zones between the layers, enhancing the durability of the Ni coating on the titanium alloy substrate.