Conductive nickel/carbon fiber composites prepared via an electroless plating route

Abstract

In this work, nickel/carbon fiber composites with excellent conductivity were successfully prepared by an electroless plating method in alkaline media, in which sodium hypophosphite was used as reducing agent. The composition, microstructure, electrical, and magnetic properties of samples were investigated by XRD, SEM, VSM, and four-probe meter techniques, respectively. It was found that the volume of aqueous ammonia and concentration of sodium hypophosphite played important roles on the microstructure of nickel coatings. The composites with compact and uniform nickel layer on the surface of carbon fiber possessed face-centered cubic phase, and the volume resistivity could reach 1.49 9 10 -3 X cm. In addition, magnetic hysteresis measured at room temperature demonstrated that the nickel-coated carbon fiber composites showed ferromagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization (M s ) and coercivity (H c ) of 5.2 emu/g and 144.9 Oe, respectively.

Thermal cycling of strained nickel‐coated glass‐epoxy composite laminates: Effects on macro mechanical and fiber‐matrix interface properties

“…Glass or carbon fibers can be effectively coated with nickel (Ni) via electroless plating, which involves a series of chemical treatments and reactions along with ultrasonic agitation and heat treatment. [1][2][3][4][5] Ni-coated fibers have demonstrated increased thermal and electrical conductivity. [6][7][8] Nanoclays in conjunction with conductive fillers and nickel-coated fibers were used to increase the electrical conductivity of polymer composites.…”

Influence of Nickel Layer on Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness of CuS‐Polyacrylonitrile Fibers

“…Metals which can be used to form layers via electroless plating include nickel, copper, silver, cobalt, and several alloys . As nickel is very hard and its friction factor is small, it forms a highly wear resistant coating and is also cheaper and more conductive than other metals …”

“…28 Metals which can be used to form layers via electroless plating include nickel, copper, silver, cobalt, and several alloys. [29][30][31][32] As nickel is very hard and its friction factor is small, it forms a highly wear resistant coating and is also cheaper and more conductive than other metals. 33 Copper sulfide-polyacrylonitrile (CuS-PAN) fibers have various advantages such as electrical conductivity, chemical resistance, friction resistance, antibiosis, and EMI shielding effectiveness (SE).…”