Nano-mechanical behavior of low temperature electroplated nano-crystalline Ni films

Conventional electroplated Ni films were performed at high temperatures of 45-50°C. In this paper, we have studied the low temperature electroplating i.e. low temperature electroplating of nano-crystalline Ni films and their nano-mechanical property. The deposits were electroplated in potentiostatic mode and the low electrolytic temperature varied from 0 to 20 °C. Grazing incidence X-ray diffractometer was used to examine the polycrystalline phase characteristics and grain size. MTS Nano Indenter with continuous stiffness measurement (CSM) module and Berkovich indenter were employed to characterize the nano-mechanical property of deposits. The experimental results showed that hardness increased with decreasing electrolytic temperature. It might be attributed to the residual compressive stress. Therefore, low temperature electroplating is favorable for the enhancement of Ni deposits hardness.