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What is Electroplating?
Electroplating is basically the process of plating a metal onto the other by hydrolysis mostly to prevent corrosion of metal or for decorative purposes. The process uses an electric current to reduce dissolved metal cations to develop a lean coherent metal coating on the electrode. Electroplating is often applied in the electrical oxidation of anions on a solid substrate like the formation of silver chloride on silver wire to form silver chloride electrodes.
Electroplating is majorly applied to modify the surface features of an object (e.g corrosion protection, lubricity, abrasion), but the process can also be used to build thickness or make objects by electro forming.
The Anode and Cathode
In electroplating practice, the current is usually introduced from an external source and the anode is the positive electrode and cathode is a negative electrode. The cathode is the electrode where the electrochemical reduction reaction occurs. The anode is that where the electrochemical oxidation reaction occurs.
The electroplating process uses an anode and a cathode. In electroplating, the metal dissolved from the anode can be plated onto the cathode. The anode is provided with direct current, oxidizing and dissolving its metal atoms in the electrolyte solution. At the cathode, the dissolved metal ions are decreased and the metal is placed on the product.
How does Electroplating Work?
To understand the concept further, let's take an example of a gold coating. In this instance, a layer of gold is to be electrodeposited on metallic jewellery to enhance its appearance.
Usually, the gold plating is connected to the anode (+ve charged electrode) of the circuit and the jewellery is kept at the cathode (-ve charged electrode). Both are kept immersed in a highly developed electrolytic bat (solution). At this stage, a DC current is supplied to the anode that oxidizes the gold atoms and dissolves them into the solution.
The dissolved ions of gold are reduced at the cathode and plated on the jewellery.
However, there are major factors that influence the last plating. These include:
Uses of Electroplating
Talking about the uses of electroplating, apart from enhancing the appearance of the substrate it is used in various other purposes as well. The major application is to optimize a material's resistance towards corrosion. The plated layer often serves as a sacrificial coating which reveals that it dissolves before the base substance. Some of the other common applications of electroplating involve:
Frequently Asked Questions ' FAQs
Q1
Electroplating is the process of aligning another metal onto a metal. This is accomplished using an electroplating apparatus that includes a brine solution, a battery, wires, and alligator clips that hold carbon rods attached to the metal to be electroplated and the metal to be layered.
Q2
This process is influenced by a variety of factors. Some of these factors include the electrodes' surface area, temperature, the type of metal and electrolyte used, and the magnitude of the applied current. The factors that influence the electroplating process will be investigated in this essay.
Q3
Electroplating is widely used in industry and the decorative arts to improve object surface qualities such as abrasion and corrosion resistance, lubricity, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, and appearance.
Q4
Electroplating is the method of depositing one metal over another in the presence of a metal salt (in aqueous solution). The water molecule is released as the final product in this process. As a consequence, electroplating is based on the theory of hydrolysis.
Q5
In the electroplating and metal finishing industries, methanesulphonic acid is used. Methanesulphonic acid has increasingly replaced fluoroboric acid as the chosen electrolyte for the electrodeposition of tin and tin-lead solder on electronic devices over the last ten years.
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Electroplating is the process of plating one metal onto another by hydrolysis, most commonly for decorative purposes or to prevent corrosion of a metal. There are also specific types of electroplating such as copper plating, silver plating, and chromium plating. Electroplating allows manufacturers to use inexpensive metals such as steel or zinc for the majority of the product and then apply different metals on the outside to account for appearance, protection, and other properties desired for the product. The surface can be a metal or even plastic.
Sometimes finishes are solely decorative such as the products we use indoors or in a dry environment where they are unlikely to suffer from corrosion. These types of products normally have a thin layer of gold, or silver applied so that it has an attractive appeal to the consumer. Electroplating is widely used in industries such as automobile, airplanes, electronics, jewelry, and toys. The overall process of electroplating uses an electrolytic cell, which consists of putting a negative charge on the metal and dipping it into a solution that contains metal salt (electrolytes) which contain positively charged metal ions. Then, due to the negative and positive charges, the two metals are attracted to each other.
The Purposes of Electroplating:
The cathode would be the piece to be plated and the anode would be either a sacrificial anode or an inert anode, normally either platinum or carbon (graphite form). Sometimes plating occurs on racks or barrels for efficiency when plating many products. Please refer to electrolysis for more information. In the figure below, the Ag+ ions are being drawn to the surface of the spoon and it eventually becomes plated. The process is undergone using silver as the anode, and a screw as the cathode. The electrons are transferred from the anode to the cathode and is underwent in a solution containing silver.
Figure 1: Electroplating silver onto a spoon.
Electroplating was first discovered by Luigi Brugnatelli in through using the electrodeposition process for the electroplating of gold. However his discovery was not noted as he was disregarded by the French Academy of Science as well as Napolean Bonaparte. But a couple of decades later, John Wright managed to use potassium cyanide as an electrolyte for gold and silver. He discovered that potassium cyanide was in fact an efficient electrolyte. The Elkington cousins later in used potassium cyanide as their electrolyte and managed to create a feasible electroplating method for gold and silver. They attained a patent for electroplating and this method became widely spread throughout the world from England. Electroplating method has gradually become more efficient and advanced through the use of more eco-friendly formulas and by using direct current power supplies.
There are many different metals that can be used in plating and so determining the right electrolyte is important for the quality of plating. Some electrolytes are acids, bases, metal salts or molten salts. When choosing the type of electrolyte some things to keep in mind are corrosion, resistance, brightness or reflectivity, hardness, mechanical strength, ductility, and wear resistance.
The purpose of preparing the surface before beginning to plate another metal onto it is to ensure that it is clean and free of contaminants, which may interfere with the bonding. Contamination often prevents deposition and lack of adhesion. Normally this is done in three steps: cleaning, treatment and rinsing. Cleaning usually consists of using certain solvents such as alkaline cleaners, water, or acid cleaners in order to remove layers of oil on the surface. Treatment includes surface modification which is the hardening of the parts and applying metal layers. Rinsing leads to the final product and is the final touch to electroplating.Two certain methods of preparing the surface are physical cleaning and chemical cleaning. Chemical cleaning consists of using solvents that are either surface-active chemicals or chemicals which react with the metal/surface. In physical cleaning there is mechanical energy being applied in order to remove contaminants. Physical cleaning includes brush abrasion and ultrasonic agitation.
There are different processes by which people can electroplate metals such as by mass plating (also barrel plating), rack plating, continuous plating, and line plating. Each process has its own set of procedures which allow for the ideal plating.
Table 1: Electroplating methods Mass Plating It's not ideal for items that are detailed as it is not effective in preventing scratches and entanglement. However, this process plates a mass amount of objects efficiently. Rack Plating More expensive than mass plating, but effective for either large or delicate parts. Often has parts submerged in solutions with "racks". Continuous Plating Parts such as wires and tubes are continuously passing anodes at a certain rate. This process is a bit cheaper. Line Plating Cheaper, as fewer chemicals are used and a production line is used to plate parts.Most electroplating coatings can be separated into these categories:
Sacrificial Coating Decorative Coating Functional Coatings Minor Metals Unusual metal Coating Alloy Coatings is used primarily for protection. The metal used for the coating is sacrificial, being used up, in the reaction. Common metals include: zinc and cadmium (now forbidden in many countries). is used primarily for appeal and attractive purposes. Common metals include: copper, nickel, chromium, zinc and tin. are coatings done based on necessity and functionality of the metal. Common metals include: gold, silver, platinum, tin, lead ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, and iridium. are normally iron, cobalt, and indium because they are easy to plate, but are rarely used in plating. are metals that are even more rarely used for plating than the minor metals. These include: As, Sb, Bi, Mn, Re, Al, Zr, Ti, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, W, and Mo. An alloy is a substance that has metallic properties and is made up of two or more elements. These coatings are made by plating two metals in the same cell. Common combinations include: gold'copper'cadmium, zinc'cobalt, zinc'iron, zinc'nickel, brass (an alloy of copper and zinc), bronze (copper'tin), tin'zinc, tin'nickel, and tin'cobalt.Kanani, N. Electroplating: Basic Principles, Processes and Practice; Elsevier Advanced Technology: Oxford, U.K., .
Answers
Normally electroplating is used for either decorative or functional purposes and to prevent a metal from corrosion.
Electroplating works through an electrolytic cell with a cathode and an anode. The cathode is the metal that needs to be plated.
It is important to prepare the surface before beginning the procedure because sometimes there is contamination on the surface that could lead to bad electroplating results.
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