Quartz optical fibers are of great significance in many fields. For example

they can be used to fabricate strain sensors and temperature sensors.If the surface of optical fibers is metal-coated by the electroless plating method

the measuring precision and stability of the optical fiber sensors can be improved remarkably

additionally the life-span of sensors can be prolonged.In this work

an electroless nickel-phosphor plating process for optical fibers was presented.The influences of the content of NaH2PO28226;H2O

bath pH value and temperature and the plating deposition rate on the quality of the plating coatings were studied with orthogonal testing.The results indicated that the content of NaH2PO28226;H2O was the key factor

which influenced the adhesion force of the plating coatings.The nickel-phosphor plating bath presented in this work possessed excellent stability and the plating deposition rate could be accelerated.Using the process described in this work

nickel-phosphor coatings with great brightness and high adhesion force can be prepared successfully.Optimum conditions were: NiSO4 30 g8226;L-1

NaH2PO28226;H2O 20 g8226;L-1

C3H6O3 4 ml8226;L-1

Na2CO3 3 g8226;L-1

NH4Cl 4 g8226;L-1

saccharin 1 mg8226;L-1

temperature 84 ℃

pH 4.6.