ELECTRODEPOSITION OF COPPER AND NICKEL ON INBI ALLOY ELECTRODES

Electrodeposition of copper and nickel was investigated on the 67-33 w /w InBi soft alloy, which has a low melting point (72 degrees C), The electrochemical behaviour of this alloy was found to be similar to tha t of pure indium in a Watt's type bath. Direct and pulsed current tech niques were compared. For copper, a current density ranging from 500 t o 1000 A m(-2) was found to be suitable to obtain regular and shiny de posits at 25 degrees C, For nickel, at 45 degrees, the current density range used was 500 to 1250 A m(-2) to obtain good deposits, that were not affected by hydrogen evolution. Pulsed and direct currents were f ound to be equally efficient. The main interest of electrodeposition o n InBi alloy was the ease of removal of the alloy by simple melting, a nd consequently to make electrodes of unusual shapes which are normall y difficult to produce industrially, Only a small amount of InBi alloy remained in the inner part of the deposit.