Q. Can one apply electroless nickel over a tungsten metal matrix? S.T.
A. There are a couple of different procedures for doing this that are found in the plating literature. One such procedure is outlined in the book Electroless Plating – Fundamentals and Applications (1990), edited by Glenn O. Mallory and Juan B. Hadju.
The general procedure is as follows:
- Alkaline potassium ferrocyanide soak, 215 g/L in 75 g/L potassium hydroxide, room temperature, for one min.
- Rinse.
- Boil in 10 percent potassium hydroxide for 10 min.
- Rinse.
- Dip in 10 percent hydrochloric acid for 30 sec.
- Rinse.
- Activate with palladium chloride (0.1–0.5 g/L in 1–3 mL/L hydrochloric acid).*
- Rinse.
- Electroless nickel plate.
*A Wood’s nickel strike may be substituted in some cases.
