OPTIMIZED ELECTROLESS NICKEL DEPOSITION ON MILD STEEL USING <i>LAWSONE</i> AS COMPLEXING AGENT

Lawsonia inermis Linn Leaf extract has been evaluated in alkaline solutions for its influence on electroless Ni–P alloy deposition on mild steel. During electroless plating, the effect of experimental processing conditions on deposition rate is investigated. Bath compositions and operational parameters have been optimized. The findings indicate that increasing the volume of additives from 0.5[Formula: see text]mL to 5[Formula: see text]mL improves the inclusion rate of electroless Ni–P alloy coating. In the absence of a complexing agent, additive Lawsone exhibits additional structural features and phases. The deposition rate and the corrosion rate of the Ni–P deposits were estimated, respectively, from the weight loss after a period of time. It is recommended to replace sodium citrate with Lawsone. Lawsone’s effect acting as a complexing agent on Ni–P electroless coating was explored utilizing SEM, EDAX, AFM, FTIR, and XRD, as well as corrosion investigations. Polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used to assess the corrosion efficiency.