Fabrication of Ni coatings on glass microspheres and electromagnetic properties

Ni/glass microspheres composite powders with conductive and magnetic properties were fabricated successfully by electroless plating of Ni alloy thin coatings on glass microspheres. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy disperse spectrometry (EDS) were used to characterize the crystalloid structure, topography and component of non-coated and coated glass microspheres. It is shown that a uniform Ni coating with the thickness at about 0.2μm is coated on glass microspheres after electroless plating. The Ni coating has face-centered cubic structure. The permittivity and permeability of non-coated and coated glass microspheres were tested by the waveguide method in 8-12 GHz. It is concluded that electromagnetic loss properties of the coated glass microspheres have been greatly improved.