Patent ID: 8187448

Claim:
A process for electrodepositing a nanogranular functional crystalline chromium alloy deposit on a substrate, comprising: providing an electrodeposition bath, wherein the bath is prepared by combining ingredients comprising trivalent chromium, a source of divalent sulfur, a carboxylic acid, a source of sp 3 nitrogen, wherein the bath is substantially free of hexavalent chromium; immersing a substrate in the electroplating bath; and applying an electrical current to electrodeposit a functional crystalline chromium alloy on the substrate, wherein the chromium alloy comprises chromium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, and the chromium alloy is crystalline and nanogranular as deposited; wherein the source of divalent sulfur is present in the electrodeposition bath at a concentration from about 0.0001 M to about 0.05 M and the electrodeposition bath comprises a pH in the range from 5 to about 6.5.