The mechanical and microstructural analysis of the poly-alloy electroless coated samples activated by two different activators was analyzed in a detailed manner.A full factorial design was developed in Minitab software to study the role of different activators.Ni-W-P and Ni-W-Ce-P coatings were developed on low-carbon steel substrates by selecting HCl and PdCl2 as activators.As a response, the deposition rate and microhardness were selected whose maximum value was desired.Atomic force microscopy analysis was performed to visualize the morphology of the coated samples.Both activators were superior in terms of uniform deposition on the substrate surface.The activator was the more favorable factor for the deposition rate and the more favorable the number of metal salts for the microhardness.The deposition rate and microhardness were maximum for samples activated by PdCl2 solution but were not eligible for functional applications due to surface breakdown and detached coating materials.Furthermore, from the 3D images of the AFM, it was observed that the addition of cerium to the Ni-W-P matrix leads to increased formation of nodules

Electroless coating, Activator, DOE, AFM