Electroless Ni–Cu–P plating onto open cell stainless steel foam

Metallic foams with a high fraction of porosity, low density and high energy absorption capacity, are a rapidly emerging class of novel ultralightweight materials for various engineering applications. Development of these materials with Ni–Cu–P coatings is expected to widespread their industrial utilizations. This article aims to apply Ni–Cu–P coatings onto open cell stainless steel foams from Ni–P bath containing CuSO4·5H2O as a source of Cu ions. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis were used to investigate the microstructure and chemical composition of the deposited coatings, respectively. The influence of CuSO4·5H2O addition on the deposition rate, chemical composition and surface morphology of coatings was studied. The corrosion performance of coated foam was examined in 1 M HCl using weight loss technique. The results revealed that wt.% of Cu in deposit increases with CuSO4·5H2O concentration, while wt.% of Ni and P is reduced. Better corrosion resistance, finer-grained deposit and lower deposition rate were observed by increasing Cu content into Ni–P matrix.