Electroless Ni–P plating with a phytic acid pretreatment on AZ91D magnesium alloy

A phytic acid conversion film with especial functional groups was proposed as the pretreatment layer between Ni–P coating and AZ91D magnesium alloy substrate, to replace the traditional pretreatment. In the process, the silane coupling agent was adopted as connector between conversion film and palladium ion with catalysis. The microstructure of the phytic acid conversion coatings was observed using scanning electronic microscopy, while the composition and functional groups were analyzed by energy dispersive spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The bonding between Si–OH of the silane coupling agent and hydroxyl of phytic acid was validated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the existence of palladium ion was also verified. The subsequent Ni–P deposited on the layer was also characterized by its structure, morphology, and corrosion resistance. The results show that the Ni–P coatings with the phytic acid pretreatment on AZ91D magnesium alloy have good corrosion resistance.