Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Electroplating & Electroless brightener analysis
Q. Hello,
We're using reverse pulse plating equipment for copper plating. I would like to get some information on recommended way to measure the brightener concentration. Now we're using the C.V.S. (cyclic voltammetric stripping) and we think that it isn't accurate.
Best Regards,
Benny Minkowski- Migdal Haemek, Israel
2001
? What method of cyclic voltammetric stripping are you presently using? For Acid copper? Is the method from the manufacturer of the brightener?
Tom Pullizzi
Falls Township, Pennsylvania
A. Brightening action depends on polarization of the cathodic surface. Use of a reverse pulse will disturb the polarized layer. If the reverse pulse is occurring at intervals shorter than required for polarizing and brightening, the purpose of addition of brighteners might be defeated. I would critically assess if brightener can do any good with reverse pulse plating.
I feel the consumption would depend a lot on the exact current cycle, circulation in the bath in addition to actual ampere hours.
Yashawant Devalelectroplating shop - Pune, INDIA
Multiple threads merged: please forgive chronology errors :-)
Bright Nickel Analysis Problem
Q. My supplier sold out and the new owner shut down this local branch leaving me to deal what seems to be an overwhelmed chemists 1200 miles away, refusing to do analysis of his stepchild brightener system I am using in my bright nickel bath saying "he is too busy". He did go out of his busy way enough to send me a procedure to titrate his carrier denying me any information about the leveler. There are alot of labs around here supporting the semiconductor industry and willing to help me if I could give them a procedure for the leveler.
P.S. I really like this product and have a 2 year supply.
Taylor Thomas- Garland,Texas, USA
2002
A. Send us the carrier analysis, so we can see what one is missing. You may be able to do a bromination of the double or triple bond for the leveler. Also send the technical bulletin for this abandoned system, so we can glean some information from it.
Tom Pullizzi
Falls Township, Pennsylvania
Multiple threads merged: please forgive chronology errors :-)
Help! RPP additive analysis
Q. Hello My name is Adrian and I am an exchange student at TU Delft were I am doing my final year research project. I have a big problem for 2 months NO results. I am doing the rate of additive breakdown in the electrolysis bath. I am using the Radiometer PST050 with a RDE rotating disk electrode and I am trying to make the analysis stable because the results are not repeatable. Now I want to to use the Autolab to do the measurements because I don't have the test cell to test the machine from Radiometer and I don't have any idea what to do to improve the analysis.
I use a brightener and a starter from Schlotter(?) in the electrolyte and for the analysis I am using the standard addition method for the brightener. With 2 or 3 addition and 95 ml of blank solution (just copper ions and CL- ions) then add 5ml of sample (the maximum conc. in sample is 0.25) and then add 2 or 3 additions of 100 µL 1% brightener. The software is varying the potential and records the current density. The machine is using a 3 electrode system (reference electrode- AgCl/sat. KCl; rotating disk electrode platinum; wire platinum electrode). If any of you know this type of measurement, worked with the Radiometer machine or with the Autolab to do this kind of analysis or know another way to measure the conc. of additives in the electrolyte solution please post it!
Best regards,
Carcel Radu Adrian- Brasov, Romania
2003
Adrian, the best approach is to ask Schloetter how to analyze this as it is their proprietary product and they know exactly what it is. Best of luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. There is a lot that I do not know, but I cannot see how a rotating disc electrode is going to be able to analyze for brightener and breakdown. I sort of thought that ion chromatography was used for that. HPLC (high precision liquid chromatography) has been used for some plating analyses, but not many.The average shop cannot afford either one of these instruments. Brightener is normally controlled by Hull Cell testing. This is an inexact science at best and is not easy to sort out when you have a 3 additive package. Some shops get to be really good at it mostly because they can directly compare Hull Cell results to tank results over a long period of time. The vendor's tech services will normally provide a check of the brightener package on a frequency directly related to how much product that you use.
James Watts- Navarre, Florida
A. Hi folks. Regarding HPLC, let's take a trip down to the dustiest corner of the basement and take a look at this forum thread from our electronic BBS system in 1991, long before the internet existed :-)
Luck & Regards,Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Carrier Analysis in Acid Zinc Plating Solutions
Q. Good day,
We are analysing for carrier in acid zinc plating solutions by UV-VIS at a wavelength of 250 nm. We are struggling, however, to get stable readings. When I test the method by adding a known amount of carrier in increasing concentration to solutions I get almost no difference in results. Does any one have advice on how to analyse for carrier in acid zinc?
- Germiston, Gauteng
April 6, 2023
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