Preparation of nano-nickel colloid and its application to activation of electroless plating of fabrics

For preparation of nano-nickel colloid which is suitable for the activation of electroless-plating of fabrics with copper economically,under acidic conditions,the nano-nickel colloid was prepared with nickel particles as catalyst and polyvinylpyrrollidone(PVP) as stabilizer.The nickel particles were prepared by reduction of nickel sulfate with sodium borohydride in the presence of sodium hypophosphite solution.Then the nano-nickel colloid was used in the activation process of electroless plating of fabrics with copper.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) were used to characterize the nickel colloid and fabrics before and after activation treatment.The results showed that the nano-nickel colloid has pure composition,uniform particle size distribution,and good catalytic activity,and fabrics dipped with this nickel colloid can be successfully electroless plated with copper using formaldehyde as reducing agent.