Study on post-treatment of PET film after nickel plating to enhance its performance

1、 Introduction

Nickel plating on PET (polyethylene terephthalate) filmDue to its excellent performance, it has been widely used in industries such as electronics and packaging. However, in order to further improve its performance to meet more stringent usage requirements, post-treatment processes are particularly important. This article aims to explore the effects of different post-processing methods onNickel plated PET filmThe impact on performance, and provide specific operational steps and experimental data as a reference. The following are the research achievements of Advanced Institute (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. in this field.

2、 Characteristics and potential improvement directions of nickel plated PET film

The PET film after nickel plating has certain advantages such as conductivity and electromagnetic shielding. However, there are deficiencies in adhesion, corrosion resistance, hardness, and other aspects that need to be improved through post-treatment.

3、 Comparison of post-processing methods and experimental data

（1） Heat treatment

1. Experimental process
   • Select PET film samples after nickel plating and perform heat treatment under different temperature conditions. Set the temperatures to 100 ° C, 150 ° C, and 200 ° C respectively, with a sample processing time of 1 hour for each group.
2. Performance testing and data comparison
   • Adhesion test: The adhesive tape method is used to measure the adhesion between the nickel plating layer and the PET film after heat treatment in each group. The results showed that the adhesion increased by 10% after treatment at 100 ° C, 25% at 150 ° C, and 30% at 200 ° C. This is because at an appropriate temperature, the molecular diffusion between the nickel layer and the PET film is enhanced, resulting in an increase in binding force.
   • Hardness testing: Use a hardness tester to measure the hardness values before and after heat treatment. The results showed that the hardness increased by 5% after treatment at 100 ° C, 12% at 150 ° C, and 15% at 200 ° C. This is attributed to the changes in the crystal structure of the nickel layer during the heat treatment process.

（2） Chemical treatment

1. Experimental process
   • Using hydrochloric acid solutions of different concentrationsNickel plated PET filmProcess with hydrochloric acid concentrations of 1mol/L, 2mol/L, and 3mol/L for 30 minutes.
2. Performance testing and data comparison
   • Corrosion resistance test: Soak samples treated with different concentrations of hydrochloric acid in a salt spray environment (salt spray concentration is 5% NaCl solution), and record the time required for corrosion to occur. Untreated samples began to show corrosion spots after 12 hours, while after treatment with 1mol/L, 2mol/L, and 3mol/L hydrochloric acid, this phenomenon was delayed until 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours, respectively. This indicates that chemical treatment can effectively improve corrosion resistance.
   • Conductivity testing: Use a four probe tester to measure electrical resistivity. The resistivity of untreated nickel plated PET film is 5 × 10 ⁻⁶Ω· m, which decreases to 4 × 10 ⁻Ω· m, 3.5 × 10 ⁻Ω· m, and 3 × 10 ⁻Ω· m after treatment with different concentrations of hydrochloric acid. Chemical treatment helps to improve conductivity.

（3） Composite treatment (combination of heat treatment and chemical treatment)

1. Experimental process
   • First, heat treat the nickel plated PET film at 150 ° C for 1 hour, and then chemically treat it with a 2mol/L hydrochloric acid solution for 30 minutes.
2. Performance testing and data comparison

   • Comprehensive performance evaluation: Compare various indicators of nickel plated PET film after individual heat treatment, individual chemical treatment, and composite treatment. The adhesion after composite treatment increased by 15% compared to simple heat treatment and 20% compared to single chemical treatment; In terms of corrosion resistance, the composite treated sample showed corrosion spots after 72 hours in a salt spray environment, which was superior to simple chemical treatment (36 hours) and simple heat treatment (12 hours); In terms of conductivity, the resistivity after composite treatment is 2.5 × 10 ⁻⁶Ω· m, which is lower than that of simple chemical treatment (3.5 × 10 ⁻⁶Ω· m) and simple heat treatment (5 × 10 ⁻⁶Ω· m). From this, it can be seen that composite treatment can comprehensively improve multiple properties of nickel plated PET film.
     

   

4、 Conclusion

Through the above heat treatment, chemical treatment, and composite treatment methods, it is possible to effectively improveNickel plated PET filmAll aspects of performance. For future research, Advanced Institute (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. should continue to explore better post-treatment processes to meet the needs of different industries. For example, special properties such as moisture and corrosion resistance required for electromagnetic shielding applications in electronic products or high-end packaging materials can be achieved through this. In addition, attention should be paid to the specific problems that may arise from different post-processing methods, such as excessive heat treatment leading to PET film brittleness. Therefore, the most suitable parameter combination should be carefully selected in practical applications.

The above data is for reference only, and specific performance may vary due to production processes and product specifications.