EFFECT OF CHELATING-AGENTS ON THE STRUCTURE OF ELECTROLESS COPPER COATING ON ALUMINA POWDER

Two chelating agents, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and triet hanolamine (TEA), were used as complexing agents for copper coated on alumina powder via the electroless copper-plating procedure. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction have been used to examine th e effect of chelating agents on the surface structure of copper coatin gs. The experimental results showed that the formation of copper cryst allites strongly depended on the complexing capability of the chelatin g agent. For the EDTA series, it had a stronger complexing capability and a slower copper plating rate, and the copper crystallites were rel atively small and uniformly distributed on the alumina surface when co mpared with those using TEA as a chelating agent. The acidity determin ed by the chemisorption of ammonia could be reduced more effectively w hen EDTA was used as a chelating agent. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.