ISO 23363:2020

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 23363
First edition
2020-07
Electrodeposited coatings and related
finishes — Electroless Ni-P-ceramic
composite coatings
Dépôts électrolytiques et finitions apparentées — Revêtements
composites céramiques-Ni-P sans courant
Reference number
©
ISO 2020
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ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2  Normative references . 1
3  Terms and definitions . 2
4  Designation . 2
4.1 General . 2
4.2 Examples of designations . 2
5  Requirements . 3
5.1 Special test specimens . 3
5.2 Surface finish . 3
5.3 Thickness . 3
5.4 Hardness . 3
5.5 Adhesion . 3
5.6 Porosity . 3
5.7 Corrosion resistance . 3
5.8 Stress relief heat treatment prior to coating . 4
5.9 Hydrogen embrittlement relief heat treatment after coating . 4
5.10 Heat treatment to harden the coating . 4
5.11 Heat treatment to improve adhesion . 4
5.12 Coefficient of friction and wear resistance . 4
5.13 Chemical composition . 4
5.14 Undercoats . 4
6  Sampling . 4
Annex A (normative) General classification of ceramic particles for improving hardness,
wear and corrosion properties of composite coatings . 5
Annex B (informative) Bath formulation and operating conditions for electroless Ni-P-
ceramic composite coatings . 6
Annex C (normative) Methods for the analysis of codeposited nano-sized ceramic particles .7
Bibliography . 8
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
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ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 107, Metallic and other inorganic coatings,
Subcommittee SC 3, Electrodeposited coatings and related finishes.
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iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Electroless nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) alloy coatings are produced by the controlled chemical reduction
of nickel ions onto a catalytic surface in hot, usually mildly acidic or occasionally alkaline solutions
using hypophosphite ion as the reducing agent. Because the deposited nickel alloy is a catalyst for the
reaction, the process is self-sustaining or autocatalytic.
Fine ceramic (nano-sized) particles dispersed in the electroless nickel plating bath can be incorporated
with the deposition of a Ni-P layer, which produces a nickel-phosphorus-ceramic (Ni-P-ceramic)
composite coating. There is no molecular bonding between the Ni-P matrix and the incorporated
ceramic particles. The incorporation phenomenon basically results from the impact and settling of the
particles on the surface of the work piece and the subsequent surrounding of these particles by the
growing Ni-P matrix. The deposits produced are uniform in thickness on irregularly shaped articles
as the processing solution circulates freely over their surfaces. The physicochemical properties and
the structure of electroless Ni-P-ceramic composite coatings are dependent on the size, type, chemical
inertness and deposition homogeneity of the ceramic particles as well as plating conditions such as
pH, temperature, plating bath composition, surfactants used, quality of the substrates and their pre-
treatment, activation methods and post-heat treatment.
Electroless Ni-P-ceramic composite is applied to improve hardness, as well as wear, and corrosion-
resistant properties of the coating depending on the nature of the ceramics.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 23363:2020(E)
Electrodeposited coatings and related finishes —
Electroless Ni-P-ceramic composite coatings
1 Scope
This document specifies the requirements and recommendations for electroless Ni-P-ceramic composite
coatings applied from aqueous solutions onto metallic and non-metallic substrates.
This document does not apply to ternary nickel alloys and nickel-boron ceramic composite coatings.
2  Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 1463, Metallic and oxide coatings — Measurement of coating thickness — Microscopical method
ISO 2064, Metallic and other inorganic coatings — Definitions and conventions concerning the measurement
of thickness
ISO 2080, Metallic and other inorganic coatings — Surface treatment, metallic and other inorganic
coatings — Vocabulary
ISO 2081, Metallic and other inorganic coatings — Electroplated coatings of zinc with supplementary
treatments on iron or steel
ISO 2178, Non-magnetic coatings on magnetic substrates — Measurement of coating thickness —
Magnetic method
ISO 2819, Metallic coatings on metallic substrates — Electrodeposited and chemically deposited coatings —
Review of methods available for testing adhesion
ISO 2859-1, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes — Part 1: Sampling schemes indexed by
acceptance quality limit (AQL) for lot-by-lot inspection
ISO 2859-2, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes — Part 2: Sampling plans indexed by limiting
quality (LQ) for isolated lot inspection
ISO 2859-3, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes — Part 3: Skip-lot sampling procedures
ISO 2859-4, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes — Part 4: Procedures for assessment of
declared quality levels
ISO 3497, Metallic coatings — Measurement of coating thickness — X-ray spectrometric methods
ISO 3543, Metallic and non-metallic coatings — Measurement of thickness — Beta backscatter method
ISO 4288, Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) — Surface texture: Profile method — Rules and
procedures for the assessment of surface texture
ISO 4516, Metallic and other inorganic coatings — Vickers and Knoop microhardness tests
ISO 4519, Electrodeposited metallic coatings and related finishes — Sampling procedures for inspection by
attributes
ISO 4526, Metallic coatings — Electroplated coatings of nickel for engineering purposes
ISO 4527, Metallic coatings — Autocatalytic (electroless) nickel-phosphorus alloy coatings — Specification
and test methods
ISO 9220, Metallic coatings — Measurement of coating thickness — Scanning electron microscope method
ISO 9587, Metallic and other inorganic coatings — Pretreatment of iron or steel to reduce the risk of
hydrogen embrittlement
ISO 9588, Metallic and other inorganic coatings — Post-coating treatments of iron or steel to reduce the
risk of hydrogen embrittlement
ISO 10289, Methods for corrosion testing of metallic and other inorganic coatings on metallic substrates —
Rating of test specimens and manufactured articles subjected to corrosion tests
ISO 27307, Thermal spraying — Evaluation of adhesion/cohesion of thermal sprayed ceramic coatings by
transverse scratch testing
3  Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 2064, ISO 2080, ISO 4527,
ISO 9587 and ISO 9588 apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
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