New Cyanide-Free Alkaline Electrolyte for the Electrodeposition of Cu-Zn Alloys Using Glutamate as Complexing Agent

PARY, P.; BENGOA, L. N.; SERÉ, P. R.; EGLI, W. A.

JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY

ELECTROCHEMICAL SOC INC

Año: 2019 vol. 166 p. 52 - 56

0013-4651

Glutamate is a potential replacement of cyanide in alkaline electrolytes due to its capability to form complexes with bivalent metalions. Since promising results were achieved with copper and zinc plating baths, and the use of cyanide implies environmental andsafety disadvantages, it was decided to study the possibility of codepositing these two metals using sodium glutamate as complexingagent. Electrochemical processes involved in electrodeposition of copper and zinc individually as well as in solutions containingboth metal ions were studied utilising cyclic voltammetry. Cu-Zn deposits obtained at different current densities from solutions ofdifferent composition were characterized by SEM and EDS. It was concluded that the system has a normal behavior, according toBrenner?s classification, since the more noble metal is deposited preferentially. The plating bath containing 30% molar of Cu2+ wasselected to continue the studies of the system.