Experimental Study on Electroplated Nickel Layer on CFRP Surface Based on Nanosecond Laser Modification

The insulating resin layer on the surface of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites hinders the realization of surface metallization. In this paper, a novel method is proposed, which adopts nanosecond laser surface modification to remove the surface insulating resin and expose conductive carbon fibers, followed by direct nickel electroplating to achieve CFRP metallization. The regulation effects of nanosecond laser parameters on the modification quality, as well as the influences of electroplating temperature and time on the preparation of nickel coatings were systematically investigated. Microscale morphological characterization of both the modified substrate and nickel coating was conducted. The results show that a clean and well-preserved CFRP surface can be obtained under vertical scanning mode, a single pulse energy of$400 \mu \mathrm{J}$and a scanning speed of 1000 mm/s. Increasing electroplating temperature and plating time contributes to the formation of uniformly covered and thicker nickel coatings. A dense, smooth nickel coating with a thickness of$30 \mu \mathrm{m}$can be fabricated at the electroplating temperature of 55 °C for 70 min. This study provides an efficient and controllable technical route for the surface metallization of CFRP.