Hard Chrome Replacement with Cirrus Doped Electroless Nickel Coatings

Abstract

The intrinsic hardness, high abrasive wear resistance, and corrosion properties of hard chrome coatings have resulted in their wide industrial application. However, chrome plating involves hazards associated with chrome 6+ which affect human health and drive the need to identify viable alternatives. This study investigated the addition of Cirrus alumina Dopant™ to a low phosphorus electroless nickel bath to evaluate the performance of the resulting nanocomposite coating as a potential replacement for hard chrome. A comprehensive comparison for the performance of coatings for alumina doped electroless nickel and a pure low electroless nickel coating were investigated. Results showed that Cirrus doped electroless nickel possessed a minimum hardness of 850HV0.1, high corrosion resistance, excellent abrasive wear resistance, and a Taber Wear Index of 2.25mg/1000 cycles. These attributes suggest Cirrus Dopant™ for electroless nickel may offer an outstanding candidate to replace hard chrome coatings in many applications.