A Study of Levelling in Nickel and Copper Plating Solutions

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Abstract
Cathode polarization has been measured on a rotating disc electrode in order to study the diffusion effects in nickel and copper plating solutions containing levelling and brightening addition agents. The existence of diffusion—controlled inhibition of the electrodeposition process over a certain range of conditions was shown for a number of individual additives and their combinations. In the same way, the effects of brighteners (control agents) on the inhibiting action in levelling solutions were studied and conclusions were made concerning the cause of the drop in levelling power produced by brighteners in levelling baths; these conclusions were found to be in lair agreement with the experimental data on the levelling action also obtained with a rotating disc electrode. The results of this investigation suggest that the rotating disc electrode technique is very useful in distinguishing between non—levelling and levelling agents and in evaluating their efficiency under various operating conditions.