Enhanced nickel plating process

A method for plating a layer of nickel or nickel alloy onto a substrate having a glass surface, comprising the following steps in order:

• (a) providing the substrate;
• (b) subjecting the surface of the substrate to mechanical roughening in order to create a roughened surface;
• (c) contacting the roughened surface of the substrate with an oxidizing agent, thereby providing an oxidized surface having covalently bonded hydroxyl groups;
• (d) contacting the oxidized surface with a solution comprising a silane compound having one or more silanol groups, wherein the silane compound in the solution reacts with the hydroxyl residues of the oxidized surface and is bonded to the glass surface by silanol bonds, thereby providing a silanized glass surface;
• (e) contacting the silanized glass surface with a solution comprising a mixture of palladium ions and tin ions (“Pd/Sn solution”), wherein palladium from the Pd/Sn solution is deposited on the silanized glass surface, thereby forming an activated surface;
• (f) contacting the activated surface with an accelerator solution comprising sodium nitrate and oxalic acid;
• (g) contacting the substrate surface with a nickel ion-containing solution having a temperature of between 20° C. and 30° C. in order to perform an electroless nickel strike step;
• and
• (h) contacting the substrate surface with a nickel ion-containing solution having a temperature of between 40° C. and 80° C., thereby forming a layer of nickel or nickel alloy on the glass surface.