ELECTRODEPOSITION OF DUCTILE NI-P AMORPHOUS-ALLOYS USING PERIODIC-REVERSE CURRENT

Amorphous alloys prepared by electrodeposition are extermely brittle, as compared to the analogous material prepared by rapid solidification. This lack of ductility severely restricts their practical application. In this paper, a new electrochemical method of preparing improved Ni-P alloys is described. The process which is based upon periodic-reverse current plating, produces material which is significantly more ductile than that obtained through conventional direct-current or pulse-plated processes. The microstructure of the PR-electrodeposited material was evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry, transmission electron microscopy, and secondary ion mass spectrometry and was found to be significantly different than the microstructure of direct-current or pulse-plated electrodeposits. Possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the enhanced ductility exhibited by the periodic-reverse current plated alloy.