1. Obtaining electroless nickel deposits

1.1 Classic technique

The electroless nickel plating technique was developed in 1945 by the Americans Brenner and Riedel. For many years, it remained a laboratory curiosity before taking off in the prodigious way we know it today [44] .

In 2003, the annual quantity of nickel deposited in the USA was around 1,000 t, with annual growth of 10 to 12%. In France, the figure is a mere 80 t, which suggests that there is still a great deal of development to come!

The principle of the process is as follows: nickel is deposited "chemically" rather than "electrolytically", unlike conventional nickel-chromium deposits. The part to be treated is immersed in a solution of nickel salts...