Cadmium electroplating, applications

The technique may be said to combine the advantages of vacuum evaporation and sputtering, so that excellent qualities of adhesion are obtained without a limitation of maximum thickness of the coating—while at the same time the rate of deposition can be comparatively high. Many metals, alloys, and compounds may be deposited, on both metallic and non-metallic articles. However, its use at present is mainly for functional and protective applications, particularly where high resistance to corrosion is required. Thus, as examples, aluminium may be deposited on various types of steel and on titanium for uses in the aerospace and defence industries—and can be regarded as a less hazardous replacement for cadmium electroplating. 

Concentrated, aqueous solutions of ZnCla dissolve starch, cellulose (and therefore cannot be filtered through paper ), and silk. Commercially ZnCla is one of the important compounds of zinc. It has applications in textile processing and, because when fused it readily dissolves other oxides, it is used in a number of metallurgical fluxes as well as in the manufacture of magnesia cements in dental fillings. Cadmium halides are used in the preparation of electroplating baths and in the production of pigments. 

Electroplating Cadmium is usually electroplated from a cyanide solution. Zinc is also deposited from cyanide electrolyte, but for some applications mildly acidic and alkaline non-cyanide electrolytes are increasingly being used. Typical cyanide-based electrolyte formulations for both metals taken from Specifications DTD 903 and 904 are given in Table 13.6. 

Cadmium is found in low concentrations in most soils and waters. It is produced as a by-product of zinc and lead mining and smeltering. Industrial use of cadmium has led to a dramatic increase in environmental problems caused by this element. Cadmium is used in semiconductors, nickel-cadmium batteries, electroplating, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) manufacturing, and control rods for nuclear reactors. The most important sources for aquatic contamination are active and inactive lead-zinc mines, land application of sewage sludge, zinc-cadmium smelters, effluents from plastic and steel production, and wastewaters from the production of nickel-cadmium batteries and electroplating (Zuiderveen, 1994). 

Cadmium was previously used for batteries, electroplating, pigments, and alloys. However, applications of cadmium have declined over the years because of its toxicity to humans. Acute exposure to cadmium fumes can cause flu-Uke symptoms (examples chills, fever, etc.). 

Indium has many industrial uses for electronics and electrical applications [9] indium metal in germanium transistors indium alloys for soldering and glass sealing of electronic devices indium antimonide, arsenide, and phosphide in infrared detectors and semiconductor applications indium-silver alloys for brazing and electroplated indium metal for electrical connectors. For underground telephone cables, indium has been used to plate copper-to-aluminum connectors. About 2-5 tons of indium alloyed with silver and cadmium has been used annually in nuclear reactor control rods. 

Cadmium and zinc electroplating provides galvanic corrosion protection when coated on steel. Deposit thickness can vary between 5 and 25 p,m (0.2 and 1 mil), and typical applications for both coatings are found in Table 10. Cadmium is preferred for the protection of steel in marine environments, whereas zinc is preferred in industrial environments. Cadmium is also preferred for fastening hardware and connectors because its coefficient of friction is less than zinc. Cadmium is toxic and should not be used in parts that will have contact with food. Precautions for minimizing hydrogen embrittlement should be taken because cadmium plating is more susceptible to such embrittlement than any other plated metal. 

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