Preparation of Cu coated TiC powders by electroless plating with a simplified pretreatment

摘要

Copper (Cu)-coated titanium carbide (TiC) composite powders were synthesized by electroless plating with a simplified pretreatment.The surface morphologies and composition of initial TiC powders, pretreated TiC powders and Cu-coated TiC powders were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersion spectrometry.The growth mechanism of Cu layers was also discussed.The results shows that uniform Cu-coated TiC composite powders were successfully synthesized without conventional sensitization and activation steps by ultrasonic electroless plating after a simple pretreatment.The growth mechanism of Cu layers appears as follows : the surfaces of pretreated TiC powders appear surface defects which act as activated sites.Nucleation and the growth of copper grains take place on the activated sites of pretreated TiC powder, and the process repeats continuously on the lath particles with reticulate structure on the as-coated surfaces of previously deposited Cu-cells, finally Cu cells grow up and merge into a layer.