Microstructured optical fibers can be precisely tailored for many different applications, out of which sensing has been found to be particularly interesting. However, placing silica optical fiber sensors in harsh environments results in their quick destruction as a result of the hydrolysis process. In this paper, the degradation mechanism of bare and metal-coated optical fibers at high temperat...

As the laminate substrate industry moves from Hot Air Solder Level (HASL) finishes, alternate plating finishes are being proposed such as immersion gold/electroless nickel, electroless palladium and electroless silver. This paper presents results of an evaluation of the thermosonic gold ball wire bondability of electroless palladium. Two palladium thicknesses, with and without a nickel underlay...

Ultra-thin diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings are used in hard disk drives to protect the intricate magnetic structures from wear and corrosion. The coating on the recording head consists of a hard DLC layer and a silicon (Si) layer that improves adhesion between the DLC layer and the substrate. Damage to this protective coating can expose the magnetic structures to corrosion and compromise the...

Nickel-based activated carbon was prepared from coconut shell activated carbon by electroless plating with palladium-free activation. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and vector network analyzer, respectively. The results show that the surface of the activated carbon was cover...

In this study, interfacial reactions of electrolytic Ni and electroless Ni(P) metallization of the ball-grid-array (BGA) substrate with the molten n–9Zn (wt.%) eutectic solder alloy were investigated, focusing on the shear strengths and the identification of the intermetallic compound IMC) phases at various reflow periods. Zn-containing Pb-free solder alloys were kept in molten condition (240 ◦...

Lightning strike emulator was employed for evaluating the response of copper electroless coatings on epoxy-CFRP laminates under these high demanding electrical events. Samples were coated 15 and 30 min producing 0.6 1.2 µm thick layers, respectively, their performances compared with commercially protected naked laminates. Data show that a thin layer can improve performance CFRP 40 kA discharges...

The inner surface of a metallic tube (i.d. 0.5 mm) was coated with a palladium (Pd)-based thin metallic layer by flow electroless plating. Simultaneous plating of Pd and silver (Ag) from their electroless-plating solution produced a mixed distributed bimetallic layer. Preferential acid leaching of Ag from the Pd-Ag layer produced a porous Pd surface. Hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol was examined ...

In the present stady, thermochemical treatment in H2/NH3 atmosphere was used as a post-treatment for electroless Ni-P coatings on the AISI 4140 steel substrates. High phosphorus (9%) coatings with thicknesses of 2, 24 and 48 m were applied and the effects of the thermochemical treatment on the morphology, structural changes, roughness, hardness and wear resistance of coatings were studied b...

In the present stady, thermochemical treatment in H2/NH3 atmosphere was used as a post-treatment for electroless Ni-P coatings on the AISI 4140 steel substrates. High phosphorus (9%) coatings with thicknesses of 2, 24 and 48 m were applied and the effects of the thermochemical treatment on the morphology, structural changes, roughness, hardness &#10&#10and wear resistance of coatings were studi...

In this work the effects of various methods of agitation on the properties of electroless Ni-P-MoS2 composite coatings were investigated. Magnetic stirring as well as purging the solution with gas (Air, Oxygen, Nitrogen) were used. Plating rate, chemical composition, MoS2 distribution, and hardness of the deposit were measured. Topography of coating was studied with metallography and scanning e...