Study of the influence of substrate and pretreatment on electrodeposited coating properties

Abstract

The aim of this study is to find the most suitable pre-treatments for later Cr deposition on different types of material. These materials are: 4 different types of steel (with different alloying components); one of these steels coated with Ni; a pure Cu and Cu coated sleeve (used for printing purposes. Cr coating is currently done using Cr6+ (coming from chromic acid), which is toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic so, due to the REACH legislation, it has to be replaced before September 2017 by other alternative processes, which are less dangerous for the users’ health. OCAS is investigating a non-toxic ionic liquid (IL) containing Cr3+ which could be a good substitute for the Cr coating process using Cr6+.