Characterization of black chrome films prepared by electroplating technique

The surface and optical properties of black chrome films prepared by two different electrochemical baths were characterized. The black chrome films have been deposited on bright nickel substrates by electroplating technique. The surface morphology and phase structure of the films were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The chemical composition of prepared films was determined by energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDS). The spectral reflectance was also measured in the UV-Vis-NIR and IR regions. From the SEM analysis, it was found that prepared films by the first chemical bath is denser with nano size grains and by the second chemical bath they become porous, with micro sized grains. The XRD results show that in both cases chrome is the main chemical component in the films. The films prepared by second chemical bath have better optical properties than the films prepared by first chemical bath.