Introduction
Electroplating can prevent the surface of metal products from rusting, improve the appearance or increase wear resistance, conductivity and light reflection. In electroplating, the metal to be plated is used as the cathode, the metal to be plated on the object is used as the anode, and the solution containing ions of the metal is used as the electrolyte. When electricity is applied, the metal ions in the solution move to the cathode, and after gaining electrons on the cathode, they become neutral atoms attached to the surface of the plated object. At the same time, metal atoms in the cathode are continuously turned into ions and added to the electrolyte.
Electroplating intermediates are a general term for a class of fine chemicals used to compound electroplating additives. Most of them are prepared as electroplating additives and then used as supplements in the electroplating production process. Different from the main salts used in electroplating, electroplating intermediates are additives used in electroplating modification, and are materials that provide adjustment of characteristics such as particle size, gloss, thickness, and plating speed to the electroplating process.
Classification and Application
Conventional electroplating intermediates are composed of three series of nickel plating, zinc plating and copper plating, which are highly specific and have a large market share. However, according to the type of plating, it also includes gold-plated intermediates and silver-plated intermediates.
- Gold-plated intermediates
The gold plating layer has good ductility, easy polishing, high temperature resistance and good anti-discoloration performance. In addition, gold plating also has low contact resistance, good electrical conductivity, easy welding, strong corrosion resistance and certain wear resistance. Therefore, it is widely used in precision instruments, printed circuit boards, integrated circuits, shell, electrical contacts and so on.
According to its process characteristics, there are two kinds of gold plating: cyanide gold plating and cyanide gold plating. Cyanide plating bath is divided into high cyanide plating bath and low cyanide plating bath. The components of the gold liquid include:
- Potassium gold cyanide: supply electroplated gold ions.
- Potassium cyanide: produces free cyanide, decomposes gold cyanide compounds, increases electrical conductivity and prevents the deposition of copper and nickel.
- Potassium carbonate: increases electrical conductivity and is used as a buffer.
- Dipotassium bicarbonate: acts like potassium carbonate.
Alfa Chemistry is committed to providing a wide range of gold plating intermediates. If you do not find what you need, please contact us.
- Silver-plated intermediates
Electroplating silver, the coating is used to prevent corrosion, increase electrical conductivity, reflectivity and beauty, and is widely used in electrical appliances, instruments, lighting and other manufacturing industries. Cyanide-free silver plating is also used in electrical appliances, instruments and other industries. Thiosulfate, sulfite, thiocyanate, ferricyanide and so on are used in electroplating bath. In order to prevent the discoloration of silver coating, it is usually treated after plating, mainly dipping, chemical and electrochemical passivation, plating precious metal or rare metal or coating, etc.
Silver plating is easy to polish, has strong reflective ability and good thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and welding performance. Silver plating was first used for decoration. In the electronic industry, communication equipment and instrument manufacturing industry, silver plating is widely used to reduce the contact resistance on the surface of metal parts and improve the welding ability of metal. In addition, metal reflectors in searchlights and other reflectors are also silvered. Because silver atoms are easy to diffuse and slide along the surface of the material, it is easy to produce "silver whiskers" in a humid atmosphere and cause a short circuit, so silver plating is not suitable for use in printed circuit boards. The silver plating solution currently used is mainly a cyanide plating solution.
Alfa Chemistry is committed to providing a wide range of silver plating intermediates. If you do not find what you need, please contact us.
Alfa Chemistry
As a supplier of electroplating chemicals, Alfa Chemistry is committed to providing a wide range of plating intermediates. If you do not find what you need, please contact us. We also offer product customization according to customer's detailed requirements.
