CHAPTER SIX

ELECTROPLATING
 Electroplating
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 Definition: Process of electro deposition of an

adherent metallic film of uniform thickness
on the surface of the substrate for the purpose
of modifying its surface properties.

 Conducting a substance by chemical

deposition.

 Metal which is coated is exposed to a

solution containing salt of the coating metal.

 If anode is inert, suitable metal salt must be

added to the electrolyte.
 Objectives of Electroplating
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The main reasons for carrying out an electroplating

process are:
1. To give a good appearance to the metal (ornamental or
decorative purposes).
2. To protect the metal against corrosion by covering it
with a metal which resists corrosion.
3. To confer an engineering property to the metal, e.g.
copper is electroplated with Cr to confer hardness.
4. To produce a material with special surface properties,
e.g. conductivity of plastic.
 Electroplating Applications
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Electroplating is a type of surface finishing. Examples of

electroplated objects are countless. They include household faucets,
jewelry and the trim on automobiles.

•One of the most significant metal electroplated today is tin.

•A tin can used to contain food or other preserved items is actually

made of thin steel plate which has been electroplated with a very
thin layer of tin to protect the steel from corrosion reactions
between the steel and the can contents or environment.

•Cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, silver, and zinc are also
metals for which large-scale electroplating processes are used.
 Electroplating of Metals
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Common Coating Metals:

1)Tin -widely used for corrosion protection in "tin cans" and other food
containers.
2)Nickel -for corrosion resistance and decorative purposes on steel, brass,
zinc die castings, etc. Also used as base coat for chrome plate
3)Copper -decorative coating on steel and zinc, either alone or alloyed as
brass. Also important in printed circuit boards
4)Chromium -decorative coating widely used in automotive, office
furniture, and kitchen appliances. Also one of the hardest electroplated
coatings for wear resistance
5)Zinc -plated on steel products such as fasteners, wire goods, electric
switch boxes, and sheet metal parts as a sacrificial barrier to corrosion
6)Precious metals (gold, silver) -plated on jewelry. Gold is also used for
electrical contacts
 Electroplating cell
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A normal electrolytic cell is used for electroplating with

the following conditions:
 The metal to be coated is placed at the negative
terminal (cathode).
 The metal we wish to coat with is placed at the positive
terminal (anode).
 The electrolyte is a solution of positive metal ions of the
metal we wish to coat with.
 The concentration of the metal ion in the electrolyte
stays constant during the electrolysis process
 Electroplating cell
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 As shown in figure ( 1 ), If we wish

to coat iron metal with a layer of
silver then the electrolyte used should
contain silver ions.
 The anode should be silver metal,
while the iron is connected to the
negative terminal.
 Electrons are pumped out of the
silver metal in effect corroding it and
releasing silver ions into the
electrolyte solution.
Fig. (1): Electroplating cell
 Electroplating
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 The positive ions migrate over to the negative

electrode (the metal we wish to coat) and regain their
electrons to form silver metal once again.
 Copper Plating
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 A direct current (DC) is passed from a pure copper plate ( the anode)
to the workpiece ( the cathode) through a copper sulfate solution (the
electrolyte ).
 A rather complicated electro-chemical process results in copper
going into solution from the anode and being deposited from the
solution at the cathode.
 The thickness of the resulting plated finish on the cathode depends
on the plating time and the current strength.
 The anode surface area should be at least 1.5 times the cathode area.
 The current density should be about 50 A/m2.
 The direct current (DC) voltage varies in the range 0.5 to 2.0 V.
 Electroplating of Metals
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Pretreatment of the Article before Plating:

Electroplating of metals requires careful preparation of the conductive surface of
the cathode, which must be as clean and uniform as possible.
 The article to be plated should be cleaned from (i) greases and (ii) metal oxides.

 De-greasing is carried out by:

 Treating the article with hot NaOH to remove the saponifiable greases (e.g. lead

stearate).
 Non-saponifiable greases (e.g. petroleum lubricating oils) are removed by

organic solvents such as CCl4 or chloroform.

 Scales and oxides are removed either mechanically by treating the article with
emery paper, or chemically by acid pickling.
 Acid pickling is carried out by placing the article in dilute acid (e.g. 5 % HC1 or
H2SO4) for few minutes. Degreasing should be carried out before acid pickling.
 Electroplating of Metals
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Constituents of a Plating Bath:

A typical electroplating bath would contain the following:
1)A salt containing the ion to be deposited (e.g. NiSO 4 for plating with
nickel).
2)A conducting salt (e.g. Na2SO4 to improve the conductivity of solution
containing NiSO4).
3)A buffer solution to adjust the pH of the plating bath, otherwise the
alkalinity which is produced in the bath as a result of H 2 evolution at
the cathode may deposit the metal ions as hydroxides
4)Colloidal matter (e.g. glue) to give a smooth and bright deposit.
5)Chloride ions to prevent the formation of an oxide film on the anode
arising from oxygen evolution reaction.
 Electroplating of Metals
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Properties of an Ideal electrodeposit

An ideal electrodeposit should be coherent, adherent, continuous (free of
pores) and uniform.
 Uniformity (or good throwing power, TP% ) describes the ability of

the electroplating bath to give a deposit of uniform thickness on a

cathode of irregular shape.
 If the bath is able to give a uniform deposit on the irregular cathode, the

bath is said to have a ‘good throwing power’.

 If the bath is unable to give a continuous uniform deposit on the irregular

cathode, the bath is said to have a ‘bad throwing power’.

 A good throwing power (uniform deposit) is obtained by designing the

electroplating cell in such away that the anode geometry is similar to the
cathode geometry.
 Electroplating of Metals
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 Controlling the Properties of Electrodeposit
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 The quality of the electro-plating properties can be controlled by

adjusting:
 The current density
 The contact time
 the plating bath properties
 The pre-treatment and surface preparation.

The plating bath properties include:

 The metal ion concentration

 The solution pH

 The temperature

 The bath composition of salts, ions and added colloidal matter.

 Electroplating of Metals
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Theoretical Electroplating Equation:

Faraday’s laws can be summarized: V = C. I. t
Where:

V = Volume of metal plated, mm3 (in3)

C = Plating constant which depends on electrochemical
equivalent and density, mm3/A. s
I.t = (current . time) = electrical charge, A.s

C : Indicates the amount of plating material deposited onto the

cathodic workpart per electrical charge.
 Electroplating Examples
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Homework:
An electroplater wants to coat a 10.0 cm by 10.0 cm
copper plate with 12.5 micrometers of silver.
 How many electrons must pass in the external

circuit?
 How many coulombs are passed?

 If the plating takes 1200 s; what’s the electrical

current in amperes (A) in the external circuit?

 Electroplating Examples
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 Example: A ring is gold plated in an electrolytic

cell. The following information is obtained.
Mass of ring before gold plating = 23.2 g
Current = 0.900 A
Mass of anode before gold plating = 30.0 g
Time the current was turned on for = 23.0 minutes

a) Calculate, the mass of gold deposited on the ring.

 Electroplating Examples
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b) Write the balanced chemical equation taking place at the anode.

c) Calculate the final mass of the anode.

The mass of gold deposited at the cathode is equal to the mass lost at the
gold anode, 2.54 grams.
Final mass of anode = 30-2.54 =27.46 g
 Electroplating Examples
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d) Calculate the time, in minutes, required to deposit

4.52 grams of gold if a current of 1.10A is used.
 Electroplating Processes
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Electroplating processes
A) Vat plating

B) Selective plating

C) Electroless plating

A) Vat plating
 Electrodeposition is performed in a vat having capacity up

to thousand of liters.
 The workpiece is fixed in a jig and suspended in the

electrolyte.
 Vat plating
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 Inert anodes which do not dissolve in the electrolyte

are suspended a few centimeters from the workpiece.
 The DC current is supplied by a transformer-rectifier
(4-8 V).
 Vat plating produced dense coatings.
 The thickness of the coating is proportional to the
current density.
 Vat plating
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Few cm

Inert anode

4-8 V

Electrolyte solution Workpiece suspended in jig

Fig. (3) : Vat plating path
 Selective Plating
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B) Selective plating
 Electro-deposition can be made on the desired localized

areas without the need for masking and without

immersion of components.
 The anode is mounted in an insulated handle and

covered by an absorbent pad soaked in the electrolyte.

 The work is connected to the negative side of a DC

power source and circuit is completed by the contact of

absorbent pad with the workpiece
 Selective plating
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Advantages of selective plating

 The process makes masking unnecessary.

 The deposition rate is higher than vat plating.

 This process enjoys the benefit of portability

 Electroplating
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Insulated handle

Working area

Fig.(4): Selective plating ( brush plating)

 Electroless Plating
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C) Electroless plating
 Reduction of metal ions to produce metal atoms

which are deposited on the cathode (workpiece).

 Pure metals, such as copper, nickel, cobalt, gold,

silver, etc. can be deposited from their salts by the
reduction process.
 Electroless Plating
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 Example : reduction chemistry for deposition of nickel:

 The process is conducted in PTFE-lined stainless steel

tank at 90°C.

 Uniform deposits are obtained