The Role of Sulfuric Acid Electrolysis in Plating Pretreatments
Author: Robby
In plating pre-treatment, the main role of sulphuric acid includes providing electrolyte, regulating pH and inhibiting impurities.
Providing electrolyte: Sulfuric acid, as part of the electrolyte in the electroplating process, decomposes into hydrogen ions (H+) and sulfate ions (SO4-), of which hydrogen ions act as a reducing agent and sulfate ions combine with copper cations to form copper ions, thus maintaining the conductivity of the electrolyte and ensuring the smoothness of the electroplating process
Adjustment of pH: Sulfuric acid is used in the electrolyte as a reducing agent.
Adjustment of pH: Sulfuric acid plays the role of adjusting the pH in the plating process. Maintaining a certain acidity of the electrolyte helps to promote plating, and an appropriate acidic environment has an important impact on the plating effect and deposition rate.
Inhibition of impurities: Sulfuric acid has strong acidity, which can react with the impurities in the plating solution to form precipitates that are insoluble in water, thus reducing the impact of impurities on the quality of plating and improving the quality of plating.
In addition, the concentration of sulfuric acid has a significant effect on the quality of electroplating. Appropriate sulfuric acid concentration can improve plating speed and quality, but either too high or too low a concentration can have a negative effect on plating. Too high a concentration of sulphuric acid can lead to too fast a plating speed, which is prone to defects such as film cracks and coarse particles and may affect the stability of the electrolyte, while too low a concentration of sulphuric acid can lead to slower plating speeds or even the inability of plating, and may also result in holes and looseness in the plated layer.