Description
Sn electrodeposition is of great significance in various industries, such as microelectronics, automobiles and jewellery [1]. Traditionally, tin plating processes were performed using aqueous solutions due to their convenience and low cost [2]. However, such electrolytes suffer from poor deposit quality. To counter this issue, additives such as gelatin and cresol, are required to achieve desired deposit grain structure or prevent tin oxidation [3]. But the use of additives poses environmental and safety concerns. Deep eutectic solvents, which are a type of room temperature molten salts, may serve as an alternative to overcome some of those limitations.Generally, the quality of tin deposit from aqueous system obtained using direct current is poor and the grains are de-adherent. Pulse electrodeposition, where the applied electrical current changes periodically in sequence, can improve the deposit quality and microstructure by changing the mass transport and nucleation process [4]. Therefore, the application of pulse current can eliminate the drawbacks from direct current.
This piece of research has investigated the effects of pulse deposition of tin using a deep eutectic solvent. Tin was plated from choline chloride and ethylene glycol based ionic electrolyte under various pulse conditions. The results were examined as a function of pulse parameters in terms of microstructure and Faradaic efficiency. They were also compared against the results obtained using aqueous tin salt solution and direct current plating.
| Period | 16 Sept 2018 → 18 Sept 2018 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Electrochem 2018 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Degree of Recognition | National |