Semi-Bright Nickel Plating Bath and Method of Using Same

摘要

A nickel plating bath for plating a semi-bright nickel deposit on a substrate comprising a) nickel sulfate ions; b) a soluble salt of chloroacetic acid, acetic acid, glycol acid or proprionic acid; and d) at least one diol selected from the group consisting of hexyne diol, butyne diol and combinations of the foregoing. The semi-bright nickel plating bath described herein produces sulfur-free semi-bright deposits over a very wide current density range. It does not contain coumarin but produces desirable leveling characteristics. The bath requires no aldehydes to achieve simultaneous thickness and electrolytic potential (STEP) and has extremely low stress and excellent ductility.