Electroless nickel-phosphorus plating on TiB2 powder

Electroless deposition technique was used to coat Ni-P on TiB2 particles by activating the TiB2 powder in a furnace at 400 degrees C for 1 h. Scanning electron microscopy images and EDS spectra before and after electroless nickel plating confirm that nickel is deposited on the surface of TiB2 particles. With the increase of heat treatment temperature, coating weight is increased firstly and then decreased, and reached the maximum value at 400 degrees C. XRD results show that the Ni-P deposit was predominantly amorphous. However, after heat treatment, the metallic deposits can easily transform into crystalline Ni and Ni3P phases, as confirmed by DSC and XRD analyses.