Development of copper coatings on ceramic powder by electroless technique

Electroless (EL) coating technique is one of the elegant ways of coating by controlling the temperature and pH of the coating bath in which there is no usage of electric current. EL nano-copper coating on ceramic particles of micron size is not reported. In this investigation, ceramic powders of ∼100 μm size have been coated with copper by EL technique in the pH and temperature ranges of 12-13.5 and 60-85 °C, respectively. The optimization of EL copper bath has been evaluated through the combination of process parameters like pH and temperature. The optimized value of pH is found to be 12.5 and temperature as 75 °C. The coated and uncoated powders have been subjected to microstructural studies by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the phases present have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction. An attempt has been made to understand the bonding mechanism of coating. The adherence with the substrate is attributed to the chemical and mechanical bonding at the interface. A model has been suggested for the mechanical bonding effect at the interface.