Electroless deposition of Ni-P coating on Poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and PEEK/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composites was reported. A micro/nano hierarchical porous network was formed on the surface after swelling and sonicating. This structure led to a hydrophobic surface with a water contact angle about 125°. However, the surface area and roughness were improved and some MWCNTs were exposed on the wall of porous network for PEEK/MWCNTs composites. When the NaBH4 absorbed samples were put into NiSO4 solution, some spherical Ni0 particles was attached on the wall of porous network and acted as catalyst to initiate the electroless Ni-P deposition. The deposition rate of Ni-P coating on the micro/nano porous network surface was about 55 g/m2/h. The compact nodular Ni-P coating was embeded into the porous network and direct contact with the exposed MWCNTs. The adhesion between the Ni-P coating and micro/nano porous network was about 4.2 MPa and the MWCNTs content had little effect on the adhesion. For pure PEEK, the electrical conductivity in direction of thickness was decreased by one order of magnitude after electroless Ni-P deposition. However, for PEEK/MWCNTs composites, the electrical conductivity in direction of thickness was increased by six orders of magnitude after electroless deposition.
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