Corrosion protection of electroplated nickel using silane coupling agent

Electroplated nickel was chemically modified using an aminosilane coupling agent (as an alternative to chromate) in order to improve its corrosion performance. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that the silane bonded to the metal satisfactorily. The corrosion behaviour of a nickel electroplated steel workpiece was investigated using potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to optimise the silane deposition conditions. These data confirm that the most effective conditions are dipping in the silane coupling agent solution for 30 s and then curing at 100 degrees C for 40 min.