Showing papers on "Electroplating published in 2021"

Uniform and dendrite-free zinc deposition enabled by in situ formed AgZn3 for the zinc metal anode

Abstract: Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are attractive candidates for next-generation batteries. However, the challenge of uneven zinc electroplating/electrostripping on bare Zn anodes has severely restrained the practical application of ZIBs. To address this problem, a straightforward strategy of sliver particle-coated zinc plate (designated as Zn@Ag) via the metallic replacement reaction as the zinc metal anode has been employed to facilitate uniform and stable Zn-plating/stripping. The newly formed AgZn3 alloy from silver particles at the first zinc-plating cycle with good zinc affinity can effectively lower the energy barrier of zinc nucleation and promote uniform electric field distribution for the flow of Zn ions, resulting in stable zinc deposition. Benefiting from the in situ formed alloy phase, the Zn@Ag anode achieves stable cycling for over 1700 h with a very low polarization voltage of about 21 mV at 0.25 mA cm−2 and 0.25 mA h cm−2, while the bare Zn anode just exhibits less than 150 cycles with large voltage fluctuation and polarization under same conditions. As a consequence, greatly improved performance of the Zn@Ag//CNT/MnO2 full-cell with twice the capacity (177 mA h g−1) than that of bare Zn//CNT/MnO2 full-cell (71 mA h g−1) after 400 cycles at 0.6 A g−1 can be realized. This work provides a facile and effective approach to regulate Zn deposition for the achievement of long-life rechargeable ZIBs.

High-performance magnesium metal batteries via switching the passivation film into a solid electrolyte interphase

Abstract: Magnesium-ion batteries have been regarded as a promising alternative to the lithium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity, relatively high potential, and magnesium abundance. However, the contradiction between the plating/stripping of Mg2+ and the electrolytes’ oxidative stability has hampered the Mg-ion battery's development for energy storage applications. Here, we designed an amorphous MgO-wrapped Zn-skeleton as a unique current collector for an anode-free Mg battery to allow reversible Mg2+ plating/stripping in oxidatively stable electrolytes. The significant lattice mismatch between hexagonal Zn and MgO induces dislocations, leading to a highly defective interphase. This layer behaves as a mixed ionic-electronic conductor, rendering Mg nanoparticles upon electroplating. Combined with a large surface area, the proposed current collector considerably improved the charge transfer kinetics and lowered the cell impedance for Mg2+ plating/stripping by 1/20 of the typical Mg metal. Moreover, the Mg2+ interphase conduction was two orders of magnitude higher (∼10−11 S cm−1) compared to the widely known passivating layer (<10−13 S cm−1). This special design enables Mg–Li hybrid batteries with non-corrosive electrolytes to exhibit a high-operating-voltage of 2.82 V vs. Mg/Mg2+ and an energy density of 412.5 W h kg−1.

Texture orientation, morphology and performance of nanocrystalline nickel coatings electrodeposited from a Watts-type bath: Effects of H3BO3 concentration and plating time

Abstract: Nanocrystalline nickel coatings were electroplated from a Watts-type bath with the addition of H3BO3 ranging of 5–25 g·L−1. In order to study the evolution of preferential orientation of Ni electrodeposits, the microstructure, texture and grain size of the coatings deposited with different H3BO3 contents for different plating times were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, further the residual stress, microhardness, and abrasion resistance of the texture-oriented coatings were measured by X-ray diffraction, Vickers microhardness tester, and Calotester, respectively. The electrochemical corrosion resistance of the highly texture-oriented coatings and the substrate was evaluated by polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show the preferential orientation of the coating was gradually changed from (200) to (220) crystal plane with increasing H3BO3 content after plating time of 1 h. The longer the plating time was applied, the higher the degree of Ni (200) orientation was produced at a low H3BO3 concentration of 5 g·L−1. The preferential orientation of the coatings at a high H3BO3 concentration of 25 g·L−1 was changed initially from (111) + (200) to (200) plane, then random orientation, and evolved to (220) plane after plating time of more than 20 min. The stability of various textures of Ni electrodeposits against plating time-H3BO3 concentration was established, and at the same time the microstructure-property relationship was developed. The average grain size of nickel coating was about 50–65 nm. The average residual stresses of the coatings with (200), (200) + (220) and (220) orientations were −64.3 ± 5 MPa, −477.2 ± 57 MPa and −618.0 ± 36 MPa, respectively. The microhardness of the coating increased gradually from 242.52 ± 10HV1 to 269.46 ± 12HV1 with increasing H3BO3 content because of the inverse Hall-Petch and grain orientation. The abrasion and corrosion resistances of (200)-oriented coatings were better than those of (220)-oriented coatings.

Effect of deposition temperature on mechanical properties of nanotwinned Cu fabricated by rotary electroplating

Abstract: A rotary electroplating system was used to fabricate high-strength nanotwinned copper (nt-Cu) foils with slanted columnar grain structures, which may serve as the anode current collector in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). By controlling the temperature of electrolyte bath and current density during electroplating, it is possible to tune the nanotwinned microstructure to optimize mechanical properties of the electroplated nt-Cu foils. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of nt-Cu foils has been enhanced by 60% of the ordinary nt-Cu from 403 MPa to 637 MPa. We found that UTS of the electroplated nt-Cu foils increases with decreasing temperature of electrolyte bath. The tensile strength of the nt-Cu foils increases approximately by 10 MPa for 1 °C decrease in the electrolyte temperature. The highest UTS of 637 MPa was obtained in rotary-electroplated at 6 °C and a current density of 11 ASD.

Epoxy Composites with High Thermal Conductivity by Constructing Three-Dimensional Carbon Fiber/Carbon/Nickel Networks Using an Electroplating Method.

Abstract: Heat dissipation problem is the primary factor restricting the service life of an electronic component. The thermal conductivity of materials has become a bottleneck that hinders the development of the electronic information industry (such as light-emitting diodes, 5G mobile phones). Therefore, the research on improving the thermal conductivity of materials has a very important theoretical value and a practical application value. Whether the thermally conductive filler in polymer composites can form a highly thermal conductive pathway is a key issue at this stage. The carbon fiber/carbon felt (CF/C felt) prepared in the study has a three-dimensional continuous network structure. The nickel-coated carbon fiber/carbon felt (CF/C/Ni felt) was fabricated by an electroplating deposition method. Three-dimensional CF/C/Ni/epoxy composites were manufactured by vacuum-assisted liquid-phase impregnation. By forming connection points between the adjacent carbon fibers, the thermal conduction path inside the felt can be improved so as to improve the thermal conductivity of the CF/C/Ni/epoxy composite. The thermal conductivity of the CF/C/Ni/epoxy composite (in-plane K∥) is up to 2.13 W/(m K) with 14.0 wt % CF/C and 3.70 wt % Ni particles (60 min electroplating deposition). This paper provides a theoretical basis for the development of high thermal conductivity and high-performance composite materials urgently needed in industrial production and high-tech fields.

Pigments from spent Zn, Ni, Cu, and Cd electrolytes from electroplating industry

Abstract: One of the problems of electroplating industry is the periodic discharge of concentrated spent electrolytes together with rinsing wastewater. This leads to irreversible loss of valuable components, as well as to the risk of heavy metal ions entering the environment, which have toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects. The paper presents research on the processing of spent electrolytes from electroplating industry of zinc, nickel, copper, and cadmium plating, collected over 3 years. Pigments of various colors were obtained by precipitation of zinc, nickel, copper, and cadmium ions by phosphate, hydroxide, and sodium carbonate. By their properties, i.e., whiteness 95-97%, residue after sieving on a sieve up to 0.04 wt.%, etc., the resulting pigments are not inferior to those currently presented on the world market. Following previous studies, a basic technological scheme for processing waste electrolytes with pigments production is proposed. Processing of spent electrolytes according to the proposed technology will make it possible to reduce the concentration of heavy metal ions to acceptable values (0.13-0.65 mg/L) for discharge. This will ensure stable and uninterrupted operation of local treatment facilities of electroplating industry.

Tribological characterization of hybrid chromium nitride thin layer synthesized on titanium

Abstract: The chromium nitride thin film was synthesized on the pure titanium substrate by using hybrid coatings methods. The chromium electroplating and plasma nitriding was employed to obtained proper chromium nitride thin film. Chromium crack-free coating was obtained by an electroplating method using 30 A/dm2 within 15 min and plasma nitriding was applied at 600 °C for 8 h. Cr2N is the determined phase on the surface of the substrate and surface microhardness reaches 1109 HV0.25. Pin on disk test was conducted and the average friction coefficient decreased about 86% from 1.12 to 0.16. Due to the formation of a crack within the plasma nitriding process, the corrosion resistance of the chromium nitride layer decreased in comparison to chromium coating. Also, coupling phases cause galvanic corrosion in the surface of the coated samples.

Aluminum textile-based binder-free nanostructured battery cathodes using a layer-by-layer assembly of metal/metal oxide nanoparticles

Abstract: Despite considerable interest in textile-based battery electrodes with large surface areas and mechanical flexibility, issues have restricted further advances in the energy performance of textile electrodes. These issues include the ineffective incorporation of conductive and/or active components into textile frameworks, the poor charge transfer between energy materials, and the formation of numerous unstable interfaces within textile electrodes. Herein, we introduce an aluminum textile-based lithium-ion battery cathode with remarkable areal capacity, high rate performance, and good cycling stability. Ligand exchange reaction-induced layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of metal nanoparticles and small molecule linkers, with subsequent metal electroplating, perfectly converted polyester textiles to 3D-porous aluminum textiles that can be used as current collectors and high-energy reservoirs. The consecutive LbL assembly of high-energy LiFePO4 and conductive indium tin oxide nanoparticles onto the aluminum textiles using small organic linkers significantly increased the areal capacity and cycling stability (at least 580 cycles) of the resultant cathode, allowing facile charge transfer within the textile electrodes. Furthermore, the areal capacity of these textile electrodes increased from 1.07 to 3.28 mA h cm−2, with an increase in the folding number from 0 to 2.

Interconnect Fabrication by Electroless Plating on 3D-Printed Electroplated Patterns.

Abstract: The metallic interconnects are essential components of energy devices such as fuel cells and electrolysis cells, batteries, as well as electronics and optoelectronic devices. In recent years, 3D printing processes have offered complementary routes to the conventional photolithography- and vacuum-based processes for interconnect fabrication. Among these methods, the confined electrodeposition (CED) process has enabled a great control over the microstructure of the printed metal, direct printing of high electrical conductivity (close to the bulk values) metals on flexible substrates without a need to sintering, printing alloys with controlled composition, printing functional metals for various applications including magnetic applications, and for in situ scanning electron microscope (SEM) nanomechanical experiments. However, the metal deposition rate (or the overall printing speed) of this process is reasonably slow because of the chemical nature of the process. Here, we propose using the CED process to print a single layer of a metallic trace as the seed layer for the subsequent selected-area electroless plating. By controlling the activation sites through printing by the CED process, we control, where the metal grows by electroless plating, and demonstrate the fabrication of complex thin-film patterns. Our results show that this combined process improves the processing time by more than 2 orders of magnitude compared to the layer-by-layer printing process by CED. Additionally, we obtained Cu and Ni films with an electrical resistivity as low as ∼1.3 and ∼2 times of the bulk Cu and Ni, respectively, without any thermal annealing. Furthermore, our quantitative experiments show that the obtained films exhibit mechanical properties close to the bulk metals with an excellent adhesion to the substrate. We demonstrate potential applications for radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, for complex printed circuit board patterns, and resistive sensors in a Petri dish for potential biological applications.

A review on the direct electroplating of polymeric materials

Abstract: This work is a review of the literature on the possibilities for electroplating of polymer materials. Methods of metalizing polymers and their composites were presented and discussed. Information from various publications on the electrical properties of polymers and polymer composites was collected and discussed. The most important results on the electroplating of conductive polymers and conductive composites were presented and compared. This work especially focuses on the electrical conductivity of polymer materials. The main focus was the efficiency of metal electrodeposition. Based on the analyzed publications, it was found that electrically deposited metal layers on conductive polymeric materials show discontinuity, considerable roughness, and different layer thickness depending on the distance from the contact electrode. The use of metal nanoparticles (AgNWs) or nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs) as a filler enables effective metallization of the polymer composite. Due to the high aspect ratio, it is possible to lower the percolation threshold with a low filler content in the polymer matrix. The presented review reveals many of the problems associated with the effectiveness of the electroplating methods. It indicates the need and direction for further research and development in the field of electroplating of polymer materials and modification of their electrical properties.

A comparative study of electrodeposition routes for obtaining silver coatings from a novel and environment-friendly thiosulphate-based cyanide-free electroplating bath

Abstract: In the present study, silver coatings are deposited from a novel cyanide-free thiosulphate-based electroplating bath containing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO), and pyridine-3-carboxylic acid (Niacin). LSV and EIS are carried out to demonstrate the metal-complex interactions and the reduction mechanism during electroplating. Depositions are carried out by both DC and pulse galvanostatic methods for comparison. XRD and EDS analysis confirmed the presence of elemental silver in the coatings. The SEM analysis and surface profilometry show the morphological variations and changes in surface roughness as a function of the electrodeposition route. Nano-indentation measurements reveal that the samples deposited under pulse conditions have a hardness of 196 ± 6.5 and 227 ± 15.6 VHN at current densities of 0.1 and 0.01 mA/cm2, respectively. By comparing the results obtained via both the deposition routes, it can be concluded that the pulse galvanostatic route can obtain a highly compact and adherent silver coating having a mirror-finish appearance that lasts for a long time under ambient indoor environment. Therefore, the developed bath can be used for producing mirror-bright silver coatings for aesthetic usage via pulse galvanostatic route.

Manufacturing, modeling, and optimization of nickel-coated carbon fabric for highly efficient EMI shielding

Abstract: In the current study, some important parameters for nickel deposition of the carbon fabric surface were analyzed and optimized. The Box-Behnken approach was applied to conduct the nickel electroplating process. The influence of current density, temperature, and time on the weight gain and electrical conductivity of nickel-coated carbon fabric has been investigated. The Box-Behnken model confirmed that the temperature of the electroplating bath has no significant effects on the weight gain, and the applied current density and time only control the weight of the samples. The special effects of the current density and time are higher than that of temperature on the electrical conductivity. As for surface morphology results, the smooth and micro-cone shapes were formed with lower and higher values of electroplating parameters, respectively. The optimization results showed that the most optimal weight gain and electrical conductivity were to be 38 wt% and 585 S/cm, respectively, and achieved at the electrical current density of 2.5 A/dm2, the electroplating temperature of 25 °C and time of 20 min. The shielding efficiency (SE) of optimized nickel-coated carbon fabric increased up to −63.71 dB. The results indicated that the Box-Behnken design is an appropriate approach for the development of the nickel-coated carbon fabric for lightweight and high performance shielding materials.

Effect of Cu Ion Concentration on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Nanotwinned Cu Foils Fabricated by Rotary Electroplating.

Abstract: Rotary electroplating was employed to fabricate high-strength nanotwinned copper (nt-Cu) foils serving as a current collector for high energy-density lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The effect of Cu ion concentration on the microstructural and mechanical properties of the nt-Cu foils was then investigated. Formation of nano-scaled grains was found at the bottom. Its size gradually increases toward the top surface to form a microstructural mixture of gradient nano-scaled and columnar grains in the upper region. Experimental results show that the grains and elongation of the nt-Cu foils increase with increasing concentration of Cu ions. However, a trade-off between tensile strength and elongation is present. The elongation of nt-Cu foils has been enhanced by 22% (from 3.1% to 3.8%) while 8.3% and 3.9% reductions in ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and yield stress (YS) are seen. The current study shows a promising method to tune and optimize the microstructure and mechanical properties of such nt-Cu foils for various applications.

Corrosion inhibition impact of Pyracantha coccinea M. Roem extracts and their use as additives in zinc electroplating: Coating morphology, electrochemical and weight loss investigations

Abstract: To prevent steel from corrosion, zinc is often the metal of choice in the electroplating process. The quality of the zinc deposits is improved using organic additives in the electroplating bath for better structural and morphological properties. For this purpose, the performance of Pyracantha coccinea phenolic extracts was experimentally investigated as new eco-friendly plating additives using a direct current (DC) supply at well-defined operating parameters. The zinc deposit quality was evaluated through brightness meter, hardness meter, adhesion test, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), and profilometer from one side. From the other side, the corrosion resistance of the plated substrate was evaluated by gravimetric and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The obtained results revealed that the electrodeposition process was sensitive to the variation in both additive concentration and extract type. The addition of extracts improved the quality of the deposits by providing smooth with a marked brightness especially in the case of the addition of different concentrations from BE. Furthermore, these results exhibited that the substrates coated in the presence of extracts were more resistant against corrosion than the ones layered in their absence, especially when adding 1.2g/l of EAE, which induce a decrease in the corrosion rate and current density with values of 6.2 × 10−4 mg/cm2 h and 6.6 × 10−3 mA/cm2, respectively.

The prediction of the ZnNi thickness and Ni % of ZnNi alloy electroplating using a machine learning method

Abstract: ZnNi alloy coating is commonly used to enhance the corrosion resistance of steel. The percentage of Ni should be maintained between 12% and 14% in the coating for best corrosion performance. The re...

A Layer-by-Layer Assembly Route to Electroplated Fibril-Based 3D Porous Current Collectors for Energy Storage Devices

Abstract: Electrical conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and large electroactive surface areas are the most important factors in determining the performance of various flexible electrodes in energy storage devices. Herein, a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly-induced metal electrodeposition approach is introduced to prepare a variety of highly porous 3D-current collectors with high flexibility, metallic conductivity, and large surface area. In this study, a few metal nanoparticle (NP) layers are LbL-assembled onto insulating paper for the preparation of conductive paper. Subsequent Ni electroplating of the metal NP-coated substrates reduces the sheet resistance from ≈103 to <0.1 Ω sq-1 while maintaining the porous structure of the pristine paper. Particularly, this approach is completely compatible with commercial electroplating processes, and thus can be directly extended to electroplating applications using a variety of other metals in addition to Ni. After depositing high-energy MnO NPs onto Ni-electroplated papers, the areal capacitance increases from 68 to 811 mF cm-2 as the mass loading of MnO NPs increases from 0.16 to 4.31 mg cm-2 . When metal NPs are periodically LbL-assembled with the MnO NPs, the areal capacitance increases to 1710 mF cm-2 .

Porous Ni Foams Filled by N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes Coated with N-Doped Ni3P and Ni Nanoparticles for Catalytic Water Splitting

Abstract: The development of bifunctional catalysts possessing high efficiency and excellent stability was still a challenge as regards overall water splitting. Herein, a reasonable space division strategy of Ni foam (NF) was proposed to design a bifunctional catalyst. Ni-P alloy was loaded on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through Pd-free electroless plating (Ni-P/CNTs). Subsequently, the Ni-P/CNT catalysts mixed with melamine were annealed for N doping. The N-doped CNTs coated with N-doped Ni3P and Ni nanoparticles (N-Ni3P-Ni/N-CNTs) were obtained. Finally, the N-Ni3P-Ni/N-CNTs were used as a filler to divide the pore size of NF by electroplating Ni, obtaining a network-like hierarchical porous electrode (N-Ni3P-Ni/N-CNTs/NF). This hierarchical porous structure exposed abundant catalytically active sites, facilitated the mass transfer, and prevented the catalyst agglomeration and corrosion that promote electrolyte contact and favor facile electron transfer kinetics. On the basis of the rational design, a self-supported N-Ni3P-Ni/N-CNTs/NF electrode showed a high specific surface area and exhibited superior electrocatalytic performances. The electrode achieved low overpotential of 73 and 270 mV at 10 mA cm–2 for the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction, respectively. Besides, it required a cell voltage of only 1.57 V to achieve 20 mA cm–2 when assembled in a 1 M KOH electrolyte for overall water splitting. Hence, this study represented a rational design of self-supported bifunctional electrode for overall water splitting.