A study of corrosion resistance and formation characteristics of electroless Ni–P alloy coatings on Al18B4O33w/6061 Al composite with a simple surface pre-treatment

Ni–P alloy coatings were successfully deposited on Al18B4O33w/6061 Al composite by electroless deposition. A simple surface pre-treatment method prior to the coating process was used for the first time. The coatings were characterized by SEM/EDX, TEM and electrochemical methods. It was found that the pre-treatment prior to the coatings had an important effect on the electroless plating, which offered an active surface for the electroless deposition, resulting in the Ni–P coatings being uniformly formed on the substrate and providing the protection for the composite substrate.