LiloTree Provides Corrosion Resistance for Nickel Plating

Nickel has a long history of being used for plating due to its passivity, which comes from the layer of nickel oxide that forms when it is exposed to the air. The thin nickel oxide layer protects against corrosion on larger areas. However, nickel is still susceptible to localized weakening from ions like chlorine (that come from a salty environment), acids or high temperatures, which wear on weak areas and cause pitting. Pitting can be hard to spot with the naked eye, but extended exposure to corrosive environments can cause the pit to grow, sometimes giving way to stress cracking, flaking, exposing the base metal and other major defects.

LiloTree (Seattle, Wash.), a materials technology company that provides chemistry and materials innovations, recently launched a product named Lilo-BL to address the problem of nickel corrosion, pitting and oxidation.

Lilo-BL is a corrosion inhibitor designed to prevent nickel corrosion with a barrier level that passivates and protects nickel plating. It is said to smooth and shield the deep, intergranular crevices of electroplated nickel to reduce surface roughness. LiloTree developed the technology to passivate nickel surfaces without a need for subsequent metal plating.

According to Dr. Kunal Shah, president of LiloTree, Lilo-BL increases corrosion resistance by up to 10 times and increases the life of nickel surfaces, providing:

• Longer shelf life of nickel surfaces
• More protection from high temperatures
• Resistance to mechanical wear
• Solderable surface finish

Lilo-BL is an immersion process that is said to be easy to add to existing processes. Finishers can implement Lilo-BL by adding an extra tank. In addition to providing corrosion resistance for nickel, it protects copper and silver-plated surfaces.

LiloTree | 425-780-2732 | lilotree.com