Electrolessly plated Ni-Zn(Fe)-P alloy and its corrosion resistance properties

The autocatalytic deposition of Ni-Zn(Fe)-P alloys has been carried out on substrate of carbon steel from a bath containing nickel sulfate, zinc sulfate, sodium hypophosphite, sodium citrate and boric acid. The effects of pH and the molar ratio of NiSO_4/ZnSO_4 on the deposition rate and the composition of deposits have been studied. It was found that the presence of zinc sulfate in the bath has an inhibitory effect on the alloy deposition. The structure and the surface morphology of Ni-Zn(Fe)-P coatings were characterized with XRD and SEM, respectively. The alloys plated under the experimental conditions consisted of an amorphous phase coexisting with a crystalline cubic Ni phase(poly-crystalline). The surface morphology of the coating is dependent on the deposition parameters. The corrosion resistance of the Ni-Zn(Fe)-P deposits was examined via mass loss tests and anodic polarization measurements, respectively. The results show that the surface morphologies of the deposits and the corrosion resistance of the deposits have been improved. The results of mass loss tests almost accord with those of anodic polarization measurements. The corrosion mechanisms of Ni-Zn(Fe)-P alloys in ~NaCl and NaOH solutions were investigated by means of EDX. The deposit immersed in an NaCl or an NaOH solution contains more content of oxygen and less contents of the metals(except Fe) than that placed in air, which shows that the NaCl or NaOH solution can accelerate the oxidation of the deposit.