Research Papers
Electroplating of Bright Aluminum Film in EmImCl-AlCl3 Ionic Liquid using a Supporting Electrode and Alumite Treatment of the Film
2020 Volume 71 Issue 1 Pages 32-36
Details
2020 Volume 71 Issue 1 Pages 32-36
Aluminum electroplating of a Cu substrate was conducted at 333 K in an EmImCl-AlCl3 ionic liquid containing 1,10-phenanthroline using current pulse electrolysis with charge density of 57.9 C cm－2. A difference was found in the Al-electroplated film thickness of more than 20 μm between the center and edge parts, as revealed by scanning electron microscope observations. Supporting electrodes were proposed to alleviate the current concentration at the specimen edge. When using a supporting electrode placed around the specimen, the difference in film thickness between the center and edge parts was reduced from 20 μm to 3 μm. Use of the supporting electrode produced a uniform Al-electroplated film formed on the ABS resin substrate covered with the Cu film. For the Al-electroplated film, anodic oxidation treatment and color treatment with pink, blue, and orange was attempted. Results showed that color alumite treatment is possible for Al-electroplated film.
