Recent Developments in Applications of Electroless Nickel Plating

Recent developments in the field of electroless nickel plating are outlined. Metal ion reduction by boron-containing reductants is a significant advance and gives deposits which are phosphorus-free, metal-boron alloys. Properties of these deposits such as composition, structure, density, hardness, etc. are reviewed.

Two types of reducing agents can be employed in aqueous electroless nickel systems. This paper stresses the preference for dimethylamine borane (DMAB) in the plating bath. The special properties of nickel-boron alloys and the versatility of DMAB plating baths suggest a number of applications such as plating of electronic components, high temperature applications, and applications where uniformity and thickness of deposits is a basic requirement. The primary limitation of DMAB is the high cost of the chemical which might make certain applications not economically practical.