| abstract |
To produce a trivalent chromium based coating on an object, a layer of nickel phosphorus alloy is deposited on the object, an intermediate layer of another metal or metal alloy or ceramic is deposited on the NiP layer, and a chromium layer is deposited from a trivalent chromium bath on the intermediate layer. The coated object is subjected to one or more heat treatments to harden the coating and to produce multiphase layers including at least one layer containing crystalline Ni and crystalline Ni3P and at least one layer containing crystalline Cr. The intermediate layer can consist of copper, molybdenum, a metal alloy or a non- metallic solid, such as an oxide, nitride or carbide of a metal. |