Characterization of Amorphous Ni-P Coatings by Small Angle X-Ray Scattering

Abstract

Electro-or electrolessly deposited NiP amorphous coatings exhibit some degree of inhomogeneity. This can affect the nucleation process during crystallization of the alloy and therefore its thermal stability. Pure Ni or Ni-rich particles precipitate in the alloy upon annealing and deteriorate its valuable paramagnetic behavior. The composition or density inhomogeneities in the nanometer range will not be revealed by usual XRD, but could be detected by the small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique.

Investigation of the Kinetics and Mass Transport Aspects of Hydrogen Evolution during Electroless Deposition of Nickel–Phosphorus

“…Amorphous nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) films are used in a variety of applications on account of their micro-hardness, resistance to corrosion and wear, and paramagnetic properties. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Ni-P films may be fabricated via electroless deposition using sodium hypophosphite (NaH 2 PO 2 ) as the reducing agent. [12][13][14][15][16] During electroless Ni-P deposition, the hypophosphite anions undergo surface oxidation, which in turn causes reduction of the complexed Ni 2+ species from the electrolyte to metallic Ni on a catalytic substrate.…”