Effect of Nickel Pulse Electroplating Parameters on ST12 Steel

Nickel coatings benefit from their high corrosion resistance and low porosity content. However, improving these properties seems to be necessary for special purposes which can be achieved through pulse plating. The most important parameters to enhance the surface quality of nickel pulse plating on ST12 steel have been discussed in this research. Morphology of the coatings has been investigated by metallographic and AFM experiments. Reported morphology of the coating for all cases was even except for that of direct current (DC). The current research has utilized anodic-cathodic voltage and current between the two electrodes in order to study the differences between direct and pulse plating, including parameters such as the number of pulses, pulse amplitude, and time duration. By controlling these pulse parameters, the composition and thickness of the produced coating can be controlled at atomic level. The findings indicate that increased voltage and total forward time tend to intensify weight changes, whereas increased voltage and total backward time may reduce weight changes. Additionally, optimizing temperature and pulse frequency within standard ranges can facilitate controlled weight changes in the coatings.