Effect of electroless plating time and temperature on the formation and antibacterial ability of Cu-plated cement-based material.

Microbial induced corrosion (MIC) is an increasing challenge in concrete wastewater conveyance systems. Preventing MIC usually requires a corrosion-resistant chemical/antibacterial coating on cement-based materials. This study investigated the effects of electroless plating time and temperature on the preparation of the Cu-plated hardened cement paste (HCP) and successfully applied electroless copper plating to modify the HCP surface for antibacterial properties. The results indicated that the main components of the coating were metallic copper nanoparticles and phosphate sediment. The HCP plated for 4 h resulted in a relatively higher mass gain (0.76%) and Vickers hardness (163.6 HV). 65 °C was more favorable for reaction kinetics, displaying better mass gain and Vickers hardness. Besides, the antibacterial assays and accelerated bio-corrosion experiments indicated that the Cu-plated HCP had a significant improvement in the antibacterial performance and MIC resistance. Therefore, the proposed electroless plating process is a viable method for cement-based material to meet the MIC challenge. • Electroless copper plating was successfully applied on the hardened cement paste. • The effect of plating time and bath temperature on the Cu coatings was investigated. • Cu-plated cement paste exhibited excellent antibacterial performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]