Question

Identify and briefly describe one engineering or manufacturing application of electrodeposition.

Answer 1

Answer:

Electrodeposition (electroplating):

1.What is it?

• Electrodeposition, also recognized as electroplating, is the process of depositing material on a conducting surface from a solution comprising ionic species (salts).
• This fabrication technique is commonly used to apply thin films of solid to the surface of an object to modification its external possessions such as to increase corrosion protection, increase abrasion resistance, recover decorative quality, or simply to deposit a layer which is part of a more complicated device.
• For example, nickel metal is electroplated on self-propelled products so as to constrain against corrosion, and copper metal is electrodeposited on to circuit boards to provide low confrontation paths between electronic components.
• Electrodeposition can not only be used for plating unassuming metals but also alloys (mixtures of metals) and semiconductors.

2.How does it work?

• A characteristic set active for small scale electrodeposition is shown in the figure.
• It involves of three electrodes, namely working, position, and security (sometimes secondary) electrodes, individually.
• The electrodes are associated to a potentiostat which is the gadget which controls the deposition process.
• The electrodes sit inside a vessel containing a liquid which has ionic classes dissolved within it, such as copper ions melted in water.

• The working electrode is the object which will be plated, the counter electrode is used to complete the electronic circuit, and the orientation electrode is used as a fixed reference point for the potentiostat.
• An electric field is then applied across the employed electrode in such a way as to give electrons to the ions in solution so that they form uncharged elements or compounds which prefer to adhere to the superficial of the working electrode rather than remain dissolved in solution.
• The strength of the electric field or the potential is unhurried versus the orientation electrode, but the actual current flows between the occud and counter electrodes.