📋 Tender Overview
A new method of deposition of Nickel alloy coatings on high-performance materials in engineering applications can replace environmentally toxic chrome coatings. The coatings obtained are also highly corrosion-resistant and useful for the plastic ware industry.With ever-increasing demand for high-performance materials in engineering applications nano-crystalline coatings can cater to the need for the replacement of environmental hazardous chrome coatings.Chrome coatings have been used in plastic bottling industry to improve the service life of die-casting components. However chrome plating is a toxic process and the stringent standard permissible exposure limit PEL for toxic hexavalent chromium and all its compounds has to be complied in all chrome plating industrial workplaces. Finding a procedure for adhering to this limit is a challenge for scientists.Scientists at the Centre for Engineered Coatings at International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy New Materials ARCI an autonomous Research and Development Centre of the Department of Science and Technology DST Govt. of India has developed a lab-scale process to deposit novel nanostructured Nickel alloy coatings. The process uses pulsed current electroplating which is environmentally benign with high production capacity. In contrast to conventional direct current used for chrome plating the research group led by Dr. Nitin P. Wasekar at ARCI have used electric current in the form of pulses of duration of a few milliseconds for electroplating purpose.The process consists of environment-friendly electrolyte consisting of nickel and tungsten ions that is the source of strengthening elemental tungsten W and nickel Ni. The pulsed current is applied between the components to be coated acting as cathode and non-consumable anode.
