SUSPENSION ELECTRODEPOSITION OF PHOSPHORUS AND COPPER

The codeposition of red phosphorus particles and copper from an electrolytic bath constitutes an attractive method for the production of phosphorized copper, which is the preferred anode material in bright acid copper electroplating. The effects of suspension concentration, current density, temperature, solution additives, and particle size on the amount of codeposition were determined. The behavior of this system is accurately modeled by the two-step adsorption mechanism proposed by Guglielmi. The validity of the model was further confirmed by direct measurement of the surface concentration of particles. Codeposition was found to be independent of current density, temperature, and solution additives, and to increase linearly with particle size up to 15 µm. Finally, the ability to form smooth, coherent, thick deposits of uniform composition demonstrated the feasibility of using suspension electrodeposition to produce bulk phosphorized copper. © 1990, The Electrochemical Society, Inc. All rights reserved.