Modeling and simulation of electrodeposition: effect of electrolyte current density and conductivity on electroplating thickness

Abstract

Electroplating or electrodeposition is a process carried out in an electrochemical cell where a current is used to form a coating on a metal surface. Developing and optimizing conditions for electroplating is time consuming and modeling and simulation could be used to optimize the electrodeposition process. Electrolyte current density and conductivity are important parameters for an electrodeposition system as they dictate the overall efficiency of flow of ions in the electrolyte system and thus optimization of these parameters is necessary. In this manuscript we report the development of a mathematical model to predict the electrodeposition of copper on cobalt chrome alloy in an electrochemical cell with copper and cobalt chrome alloy as the electrodes and copper sulfate as the electrolyte. The developed model was validated using experiments. The coating thickness of the samples was characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a thickness gage. At 30 min the model predicted the copper thickness to be 11.7 µm while experimentally the coating thickness was found to be 9.445+/-1.79 (mean +/-SD) using SEM and 12.375+/-1.36 (mean +/-SD) using thickness gauge. When predicting effect of current density the model accurately predicts general trends however the model seems to vary from experimental values in regions where there is significant effect of the electrochemical double layer that the model does not account for. The model accurately predicts the trend of effect of electrolyte conductivity on coating formation. The model can thus be used as a starting point to predict effect of process parameters on electrodeposition thickness

Electrodeposition of ZnNi Alloys from Choline Chloride/Ethylene Glycol Deep Eutectic Solvent and Pure Ethylene Glycol for Corrosion Protection

“…At the same time, a low conductivity may represent a serious obstacle for successful metal deposition, with reduced power efficiencies and difficulties in the formation of uniform layers. 60 , 61 …”

“…A very high viscosity may constitute an issue for electrodeposition, since highly viscous fluids are typically characterized by reduced ionic mobility. At the same time, a low conductivity may represent a serious obstacle for successful metal deposition, with reduced power efficiencies and difficulties in the formation of uniform layers. , …”

“…At the same time, a low conductivity may represent a serious obstacle for successful metal deposition, with reduced power efficiencies and difficulties in the formation of uniform layers. 60,61 ChCl/EG 1:2 and EG dynamic viscosity was determined, and it is plotted in Figure 1a. Coherently with state-of-the-art measurements, 58 ChCl/EG 1:2 was characterized by a relatively high viscosity, which reached values suitable for electrodeposition only at rather high temperatures.…”

Parameters Affecting Qualitative and Efficient Electrodeposition of Metals in an Electrolytic Cell: a Review

“…Temperature increases conductivity of electrolyte (Kumar et al, 2015). An electrodeposition simulation experiment performed with different electrolyte conductivities showed a decreasing thickness trend with decreasing electrolyte electrical conductivities (Mahapatro & Suggu, 2018).…”

Quantitative and Qualitative Characterization of Coatings Added to Low Voltage Switches

“…Electroplating is the process of adding a metal coating to a metal [1]. The added coating can improve the metal's final characteristics, such as its corrosion resistance, surface hardness, friction resistance, surface texture, electrical characteristics, durability, etc.…”