In this study, a Ni-P alloy electroforming nanostructure material with low surface
roughness and low internal stress was developed by using a pulse current. Square-wave cathodic
current modulation was employed to electrodeposit ultrafine-grained Ni-P films from an additivefree
Sulfamate nickel bath. The effect of various factors, such as peak current density, duty cycle
and pulse frequency on the roughness and internal stress were investigated. Pulse current
significantly influences the microstructure of Ni-P alloys. The internal stress and roughness of Ni-P
alloys increased as peak current density increased, but the internal stress of Ni-P alloys decreased as
duty cycle decreased.