Enhancing the quality of nickel electroplating on brass with the addition of organic additive triethylamine (TEA)

Nickel plating on brass is widely used in many industrial applications. The electrodeposition process is relatively complex and depends on several parameters, including pH, temperature, current density, and bath composition. In this work, nickel coatings were electrodeposited on brass substrates using a conventional Watts bath and a modified nickel bath containing triethylamine (TEA). The coatings were characterized by electrochemical techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and corrosion tests. Under the investigated additive-free conditions, the coating obtained from the conventional Watts bath exhibited a relatively heterogeneous morphology, whereas the proposed bath resulted in improved apparent nickel coverage in the analyzed regions. In contrast, the TEA-containing bath yielded brighter, more compact, and more homogeneous coatings. EDS analysis confirmed improved nickel deposition, with the Ni content increasing to 97.16 wt% at 8 mL/L TEA. Electrochemical corrosion tests also showed enhanced protection in the presence of TEA, confirming its beneficial effect on the morphology and corrosion resistance of nickel coatings on brass.