In this work we report our attempts to prepare uniform and adherent layers of nickel/fluorographite composites by electrolytic co-deposition from a Watts bath on polycrystalline copper substrates. Three parameters have been considered: nature of the surfactant, amount of fluorographite in the electrolytic solution and current density. The best nickel/fluorographite composite layers are obtained with octylphenylpolyoxyethylene glycol as surfactant, 20 g dm(-3) of fluorographite in the electrolytic solution and 2.5 A dm(-2) current density. Characterization of the nickel/fluorographite composite layers has been carried out with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), resonant nuclear reaction analysis (RNRA) and water contact angle measurements. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.