EFFECT OF DEPOSITION POTENTIAL ON THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF ELECTRODEPOSITED SILVER COATINGS

The manner in which the Rebinder (pendulum) hardness, wettability, porosity, and brightness of electrolytically deposited silver vary with the deposition potential has been investigated. The surface-formation work for silver at the deposit/electrolyte interface plotted against potential has been found to have several peaks. This is ascribed to the fact that the zero-charge potential of silver takes on several values and that the charge on the surface changes sign more than once. Correlations between the latter and the polarization curves, the process, and functional and structural properties of the deposits are traced.