Dynamix Laboratory Services Maximize Plating Chemistry

RELATED CONTENT

• Hybrid Sol-Gel Coatings in Surface Engineering

  A look at the use of modified sol-gel polymer films and hybrid system coatings, as well as the methodologies for evaluating the mechanical properties of the coatings.

• A Process for Alkaline Non-cyanide Silver Plating for Direct Plating on Copper, Copper Alloys and Nickel Without a Silver Strike Bath

  Traditionally, silver is electroplated in toxic, cyanide-based chemistry.  Due to cyanide’s extreme hazard to human health and environments, developing non-cyanide silver chemistry is essential for the silver electroplating industry.  Discussed here is an aqueous, alkaline non-cyanide silver plating technology, which can be directly plated over nickel as well as copper and its alloys.  The silver deposits have perfect white color and better anti-tarnishing properties than other non-cyanide silver processes.  The silver is plated entirely from the dissolving silver anode and the bath is very stable, and maintains a stable pH level both during plating and idle time.  This new non-cyanide silver technology will plate bright silver that is perfectly suitable for electronic, industrial and decorative applications.    .      

• Electroless Nickel Coatings: Appearance, Gloss and Surface Morphology

  For decorative coatings, appearance is the essential purpose for application, but also for functional surface finishes it becomes increasingly relevant as an added value on top of specified technical requirements.  Appearance is affected by spectrum and intensity of incident light, roughness and morphology of the coating surface, optical properties of the coating material, eventual superficial oxide films, and individual perception.  The predominant factor is surface roughness, which in turn depends on base material roughness, quality of substrate pretreatment, and nucleation and growth kinetics of the electroless nickel (EN) deposit. Interdependency of gloss measurements with roughness measurements and with chemical composition of coatings was investigated for new generation mid-P EN processes and compared to traditional ones.