Study of surface morphology in DC and pulse plating of silver alloy

Abstract

The objective of this work is to make a comparative study of dc and pulse plating of silver on silver alloy. The dc and pulsed electro deposition of silver on silver alloy is analyzed from an alkaline cyanide bath with brightener. Pulse duty cycles of 20 to 80%, at frequencies 10, 25, 50 and 100 Hz with peak current densities of 3.21, 3.75 and 4.55 A/dm² are employed. The influences of peak current density on the thickness and current efficiency of the plating process are studied. The surface morphology is characterized by SEM and XRD. Less porosity and fine grains are formed by pulse plating compared to that formed by dc plating.