Electroplating current density

The sheer amount of material deposited on a cathode is of less practical significance than the distribution of the deposit over the cathode and its thickness. Indeed, it ought to be understood that in practice metal ions cannot be expected to and do not deposit as continuous sheets from one edge of the cathode to the other. Rather, metal ions become attached to the cathode at certain favored sites. The result of this is the possible presence of discontinuities in the form of pores, cracks, or other irregularities. Thus, in electroplating, current density and its distribution play a centrally important role in determining the quality of the final deposit. Defined in terms of the actual electrodeposition setup or process, the current density is the total current divided by the area of the electrode. 

Current density can be increased without impairing the quaUty of the copper by polishing the cathode surface by brief periodic current reversals (PCR). Reversed current electrolysis, first developed for electroplating, was tested in 1952 for copper refining. Although good results were obtained, no suitable electrical equipment for current reversal was available. The thyristor-controUed siUcon rectifier, introduced in the 1960s, provided a means for... 

A number of bi-electrodes have been studied for application as insoluble anodes in electroplating platinised titanium, Ti-Pt, Ti-Cu and Ti-Ag. Anodic polarisation measurements in various copper, nickel, chromium and tin plating solutions together with passivation current densities are used to discuss performance and suitability. 

Electroplating passive alloys Another application of strike baths reverses the case illustrated in the previous example. The strike is used to promote a small amount of cathode corrosion. When the passivation potential of a substrate lies below the cathode potential of a plating bath, deposition occurs onto the passive oxide film, and the coating is non-adherent. Stainless steel plated with nickel in normal baths retains its passive film and the coating is easily peeled off. A special strike bath is used with a low concentration of nickel and a high current density, so that diffusion polarisation (transport overpotential) depresses the potential into the active region. The bath has a much lower pH than normal. The low pH raises the substrate passivation potential E pa, which theoretically follows a relation... 

The sulphate bath The sulphate bath, the earliest of electroplating solutions and the simplest in composition, contains typically 150-250 g/1 of copper sulphate and 40-120 g/1 of sulphuric acid. The composition is not critical and the higher concentrations are used for plating at higher current densities, normally up to 6 A/dm. ... 

Strike (vb) to electroplate for a short time at a higher initial current density than is normally used. 

In electrorefining and in electroplating, where the same metal is used as a soluble anode, the theoretical cell voltage is zero or almost zero therefore, the energy efficiency, as per this definition, is expected to be zero or close to zero, whatever may be the current efficiency. The actual cell voltage depends on the current density, the temperature, the electrolyte... 

A concise instructive review of limiting-current densities in several simple flow conditions during electroplating was presented by Jahn (J2). 

Boyd et al. have electroplated technetiiun under a variety of conditions. Optimum results are obtained at pH 5.5 in the presence of about 10 M fluoride concentration. Yields are higher when copper instead of platimun cathodes are used. At a current density of 100 mA/cm 98.5% of technetiiun is deposited in 2 h. However, yields of 98-99% are obtained at similar current densities even with platinum cathodes, at pH 2 to 5 and fluoride concentrations of 5 x 10 M with plating times of up to 20 h... 

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