Application of Diethylenetriamine for Electroless Deposition of Cobalt Alloys with Controllable Amount of Boron Using Morpholine Borane as Reducing Agent

Cobalt–boron (Co–B) coatings containing different amounts of boron were electrolessly deposited using morpholine borane as the reducing agent. Diethylenetriamine (dien) was applied to obtain a controllable amount of boron in the coatings. Depending on the concentration of diethylenetriamine in the solution, the deposited coatings contained between 0 and 12 at% of boron. It was shown that diethylenetriamine suppresses the incorporation of boron into Co–B alloys. The same tendency was observed when the solution pH increased. Higher temperatures promote the incorporation of boron into cobalt films. The kinetic data on the electroless deposition process of Co–B alloys under different conditions are presented and discussed. The coatings obtained were characterized by means of XRD, SEM, and AFM methods. Since the use of diethylenetriamine hinders boron incorporation into coatings, pure cobalt films can be obtained.