The preparation of Cu-coated Al2O3 composite powders by electroless plating

Cu-coated Al2O3 composite powders were synthesized by using the electroless plating method. The influence of the components proportion and the pH value of the plating solution on the Cu layer were analyzed with XRD and SEM. The results showed that the proportion of the plating solution components plays an important role for synthesizing the Al2O3/Cu composite powders. The content of copper in the composite powders could be effectively controlled by adjusting the content of copper sulfate and formaldehyde in the plating solution. Furthermore, the pretreatment of the Al2O3 powders is also a key factor to form a uniform Cu layer coating Al2O3 particles. The optimum technical parameters for producing Al2O3/Cu composite powders with uniform Cu coat were obtained.