Electrochemical Surface Preparation of Passive Metallic Substrates for Electroplating

摘要

The overall objective of this work is to electrolytically prepare metallic substrates of passive materials for subsequent electrodeposition. The challenge in plating on passive materials such as titanium, stainless steel and nickel-based alloys, is the tenacious oxide film that readily forms on the surface almost instantaneously when exposed to the atmosphere. This is overcome in current practice, through aggressive precleaning steps that often include toxic electrolytes such as nitric, sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids. An alternative surface preparation technique to mitigate the need for aggressive chemicals is presented in this work. The focus of this engineering study was to develop the preliminary understanding required to successfully remove the surface oxide and plate on passive substrates, from an electrolytic benign process.