Reduction Expansion Synthesis of Chromium and Nickel Metal Coatings

This thesis represents a step forward in a program to provide the Department of Defense DOD alternative approaches to the production of anti-corrosion metal coatings. Specifically, a method was developed to make micron thick but irregular nickel coatings on iron, based on Reduction Expansion Synthesis RES chemistry. Previous success using RES processes to make sub-micron nickel, iron, and alloy particles provided a general direction to the program and led to the successful protocol. Physical mixtures of nickel II oxide particles and urea were used to create a paste. The paste was coated on an iron foil, which was briefly heated at 1100C in an inert atmosphere. Also described are partially successful attempts to develop a RES protocol to chrome coat iron. This is motivated by the need to eliminate the carcinogenic intermediate in the current electrolytic technology, hexavalent chromium.