To study the influence of temperature on the electroplating efficiency of various metals from ionic liquids.
Copper, silver, nickel and tin, in the form of metal chlorides, were dissolved in a number of ionic liquids. After using cyclic voltammetry to establish an optimum current density to electroplate each metal, basic electroplating processes were carried out at varying temperatures onto stainless steel. The mass deposited was used to calculate the efficiency of the process.
It was found that, generally, temperature influences the efficiency of electroplating from ionic solutions. While some solutions showed continuing improvements in plating efficiency as the temperature increased, others exhibited an optimum plating temperature. One solution examined showed the need for a certain temperature to be reached in order to induce the formation of a different metal complex before electroplating was achievable.
The low currents used in the electroplating experiments have a large influence on the errors in the efficiency, especially at lower temperatures.
Consideration of the use of ionic liquids in electroplating for printed circuit board manufacturing is relatively new. Knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of metals in various ionic liquids will allow potential plating solutions to be better understood in terms of their suitability for PCB fabrication.
