Abstract
To activate the surface of cotton fabrics before chemical nickel plating, it is proposed to use physical and chemical processes occurring in thin layers of solutions of copper (II) chloride under the influence of electromagnetic solar rays of the visible spectrum. It is shown that cellulose, which is the main component of the fabric, undergoes photo-oxidation in the presence of copper (II) chloride. As a result of this interaction, well-bonded copper monochloride is formed. When further processing of the fabric with phosphine gas, copper monochloride is transformed into copper and copper phosphide. Copper phosphide is a catalyst for the chemical nickel plating process. This makes it possible to obtain an electrically conductive nickel-phosphorus coating on the surface of the fabric in conventional electrolytes of chemical nickel plating. It is also found that when screening individual sections, the processes leading to the formation of copper monochloride do not occur. This allows selective metallization of the fabric.