Influence of the Conditions of Zincate on the Electroless Brass Plating of Steel

In this work, we report that zinc flash film must be applied on a substrate of steel in order to activate the surface for electroless brass plating and the effect of this layer on the final properties of brass film. It was established that the color of the brass film is highly dependent on the conditions of the application of the zinc flash. We found that the mechanism of electroless brass deposition begins with the partial dissolution of the zinc flash film. It was also found that a brass coating with good adhesion properties is obtained when the conditions of the zinc flash bath are as follows: current density of 10 A/dm2, immersion time of 30−45 s, and bath temperature of 40 °C.