THE ELECTROCRYSTALLIZATION OF COMPOSITIONALLY MODULATED MULTILAYERS OF TIN AND AMORPHOUS NICKEL-PHOSPHORUS

Materials with an artificial layered structure, also known as multilay ers, have generated interest recently because of their unique properti es. In this study, the electrolytic synthesis of NiP/Sn multilayers wa s attempted. Such an alternation of soft and hard sublayers mag improv e the wear properties. The effect of plating-bath chemistry and curren t density on the microstructure was studied. Electrochemical measureme nts were performed to investigate the electrocrystallization of NiP on tin and vice versa. For the structural characterization scanning elec tron microscopy, coupled with microanalysis, and Rutherford backscatte ring spectroscopy were used. The potentiality and limitation of electr olysis as a process to produce compositionally modulated multilayers o f small wavelengths are reported.