Materials Chemistry for Energy and Data Processing (24CHECS12)
Module 5
Metal Finishing
Process of surface modification by way of deposition of another metal or metal alloy
or polymer or ceramic or oxide layer to bring about intended better surface characteristics
is known as metal finishing.
Technological Importance:
Technological significance of metal finishing refers to imparting following different
characteristics:
1) Better corrosion resistance,
2) Better hardness, strength, wear / abrasion resistance, etc.
3) Better thermal conductance or resistance or reflectance, etc.
4) Better optical reflectance
5) Better electrical conductance or insulation, etc.
6) Building up material or restoration
7) Manufacturing printed circuit boards, capacitors, contacts, etc.
8) Electrotyping (e.g., gramophone records)
9) Electroforming or reforming of articles,
10) Electrochemical machining, electropolishing and electrochemical etching, etc.
There are five important techniques of metal finishing:
a) Electroplating of metals or alloys by use of electricity/electrolysis
b) Electroless plating of metals or alloys by use of reducing agents
c) Immersion plating [by replacement reactions]
d) Chemical conversion plating by oxidation & deposition of metal compound from
an oxidizing bath
e) Electrophoretic painting on electrically charged surfaces like car bodies.
Two important techniques of metal finishing are
(i). Electroplating
(ii). Electroless plating
Dr. Madhukara Naik M, Department of Chemistry, BMSIT&M, Bengaluru Page 1
Materials Chemistry for Energy and Data Processing (24CHECS12)
(i) Electroplating:
The process of deposition of a thin and uniform layer of metal or metal-alloy on to
the electrically conducting object surface by electrolysis is known as electroplating.
Following are some of the types of electrodepositions:
1) Single metals: most important are Sn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Zn, Cd, Pb, Ag, Au, Pt, etc.
2) Alloys: Cu-Zn, Cu-Sn, Pb-Sn, Sn-Ni, Ni-Co, Ni-Cr, Ni-Fe, etc.
3) Composites: metals containing dispersed solids such as, Teflon, Al2O3, WC, SiC,
Chromium Carbide, graphite, etc.
(ii) Electroless plating
“Electro less plating is a method of depositing a metal or alloy over a substrate by
controlled reduction of metal ions by a suitable reducing agent without using electrical energy”.
The reduction of metal ions by reducing agent is catalyzed by the metal atoms being
plated. Therefore, electroless plating is also termed as “autocatalytic plating”.
The electroless plating process can be represented as
Composition of an electroless plating bath: An electroless plating bath contains the following
components:
1) A source of electroactive metal in the form of a soluble salt. Ex: NiCl2, CuSO4
2) Reducing agent to reduce metal ions into metal atoms. Ex: Sodium
hypophosphite, formaldehyde.
3) Complexing agents to form complex compounds with meal ions.
4) Accelerator to increase the rate of plating.
5) Stabilizer to give more stability to solution.
6) Additional agents such as brighteners.
7) Buffer to control pH
Dr. Madhukara Naik M, Department of Chemistry, BMSIT&M, Bengaluru Page 2
Materials Chemistry for Energy and Data Processing (24CHECS12)
Electroless plating of Copper
Before electroless plating, the surface is cleaned thoroughly. Insulators such as plastics
and printed circuit boards are activated by dipping first in stannous chloride (SnCl2) and then in
palladium chloride (PdCl2). Then, the electroless plating is done under the following conditions:
1) Plating bath solution : CuSO4 solution
2) Reducing agent : Formaldehyde (HCHO)
3) Complexing agent: EDTA
4) Buffer (pH = 11) : Sodium hydroxide and Rochelle salt (Na-K-tartrate)
5) Temperature : 25 ℃
6) Anode reaction: 2HCHO + 4OHˉ → 2HCOOˉ + 2H2O + H2 + 2e-
7) Cathode reaction: Cu2+ + 2e- → Cu
8) Overall reaction: 2HCHO + 4OHˉ + Cu2+ → 2HCOOˉ + 2H2O + H2 + Cu
Formaldehyde and copper sulphate are added to the plating bath periodically.
Through-hole connection in Printed Circuit Boards (PCB’s):
For PCB’s with double sided circuits, through-hole connection is required.
The through-hole connection is made by electroless plating technique.
To start with, the two sides of a plastic board is electroplated with copper.
Selected areas are protected and the remaining areas are etched away.
Thus two circuits are produced on two sides.
The connection between two sides is made by drilling hole followed by plating through-
holes by electroless plating.
Dr. Madhukara Naik M, Department of Chemistry, BMSIT&M, Bengaluru Page 3
Materials Chemistry for Energy and Data Processing (24CHECS12)
The various steps are shown in the following figure.
Applications:
1) Used in decorative coating.
2) Used for metalizing printed circuit boards.
3) Used to produce through-hole connections.
4) Used in corrosion resistant coating
Advantages of electroless plating:
a) Electrical equipment is not required.
b) Semiconductors and insulators can also be plated.
c) Electroless plating baths have better throwing power.
d) Electroless coatings are harder than the electrodeposited coatings.
Dr. Madhukara Naik M, Department of Chemistry, BMSIT&M, Bengaluru Page 4
Materials Chemistry for Energy and Data Processing (24CHECS12)
Difference between electroplating and electroless plating
Property Electroplating Electroless plating
Driving Force External power supply is Autocatalytic redox reaction
required (DC source)
Anodic Reaction -
Reducing agent → Oxidized product +
M → Mn+ + ne (or)
neˉ
H2O → ½O2 + 2H+ + 2eˉ
Site of anodic reaction Separate anode Article to be plated
Anode Reactant Metal or H2O Reducing agent
Dr. Madhukara Naik M, Department of Chemistry, BMSIT&M, Bengaluru Page 5
