Effects of process parameters on the adhesive strength of copper electrodeposits in a bench-scale electrowinning cell

Abstract

In this study, the effects of various process parameters on the adhesive strength of copper electrodeposits on stainless steel cathodes produced in a laboratory scale electrowinning cell were investigated. The experimental results showed that the chloride ion concentration and the current density had a significant effect on the adhesive strength. Electrolyte temperature and cupric ion concentration also influenced the adhesive strength to some extent, whereas cobaltous ion concentration and Guar dosage showed no noticeable effect. Microstructure analysis of the copper electrodeposits indicated that the process parameters which affected the grain size of the deposit at the substrate/deposit interface influenced the adhesive strength, i.e., fine grains exhibited higher adhesive strength than coarse grains.

Keywords

Copper Electrowinning Electrodeposition Adhesive strength Grain size

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