The overall process, from the pre-treatment of aluminum substrates to the eco-friendly neutral electroless Ni-P plating process, was observed, compared, and analysed. To remove the surface oxide layer on the aluminum substrate and aid Ni-P plating, a zincation process was carried out. After the second zincation treatment, it was confirmed that a mostly uniform Zn layer was formed and the surface oxide of aluminum was also removed. The Ni-P electroless plating films were formed on the secondary zincated aluminum substrate using electroless plating solutions of pH 4.5 and neutral pH 7.0, respectively, while changing the plating bath temperature. When a neutral pH7.0 electroless solution was used, the Ni-P plating layer was uniformly formed even at the plating bath temperature of 50 oC, and the plating speed was remarkably increased as the bath temperature was increased. On the other hand, when a pH 4.5 Ni-P electroless solution was used, a Ni-P plating film was not formed at a plating bath temperature of 50 oC, and the plating speed was very slow compared to pH 7.0, although plating speed increased with increasing bath temperature. In the P contents, the P concentration of the neutral pH 7.0 Ni-P electroless plating layer was reduced by ~ 42.3 % compared to pH 4.5. Structurally, all of the Ni-P electroless plating layers formed in the pH 4.5 solution and the neutral (pH 7.0) solution had an amorphous crystal structure, as a Ni-P compound, regardless of the plating bath temperature.

Since single-use disposable plastic usage has steadily been increasing, recent trends in polymeric research point to increasing demand for eco-friend materials which reduce plastic waste. A huge amount of non-degradable polypropylene (PP)-based pots for seedling culture are discarded for transplantation. The purpose of this study is to investigate an eco-friendly biodegradable material as a possible substitute for PP pot. The blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) was used because of its good mechanical and flexible properties as well as biodegradation. After landfill, various properties of the blend pot were investigated by UTM, SEM, NMR and TGA. The results showed the tensile strength of the blend film rapidly decreased after 5 weeks of landfill due to degradation. From NMR data after landfill, the composition of PLA in the blend was decreased. These results indicate that the biodegradation of the blend preferentially occurs in PLA component. To investigate the effect of holes in pot bottom and side on root growth, a plant in the pot was grown. Some roots came out through holes as landfill period increases. These results indicate that the eco-friendly pot can be directly planted without the removal of pot.