A gamma-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (gamma-MPS) conversion film was proposed as the pretreatment between Ni-P deposits and glass substrate to graft palladium onto sulfur atom replacing conventional amine functional groups. The subsequent Ni-P deposit was characterized by its chemical state, morphology, thermodynamics and nanoindentation analysis. Different thermal treatments of the pretreated deposit obtained different chemical state of Ni element. The crystallization and phase transformation behavior of electroless Ni-P deposits during thermal treatment have a vital role in determining their properties, such as hardness, elastic modulus, and so on, which were studied by nanoindentation technology. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.