Introduction

There's no such thing as alchemy magically changing common chemical elements into rare and
valuable ones but electroplating is possibly the next best thing. The idea is to use electricity to
coat a relatively mundane metal, such as copper, with a thin layer of another, more precious
metal, such as gold or silver. Electroplating has lots of other uses, besides making
cheap metals look expensive. We can use it to make things rust-resistant, for example, or to
produce a variety of useful alloys like brass and bronze. How does this amazing process work?
Electroplating involves passing an electric current through a solution called an electrolyte. This
is done by dipping two terminals called electrodes into the electrolyte and connecting them into a
circuit with a battery or other power supply. The electrodes and electrolyte are made from
carefully chosen elements or compounds. When the electricity flows through the circuit they
make, the electrolyte splits up and some of the metal atoms it contains are deposited in a thin
layer on top of one of the electrodes it becomes electroplated. All kinds of metals can be plated
in this way including gold, silver, tin, zinc, copper, cadmium ,chromium ,nickel, platinum,
and lead.
Electroplating is very similar to electrolysis (using electricity to split up a chemical solution),
which is the reverse of the process by which batteries produce electric currents. All these things
are examples of electrochemistry: chemical reactions caused by or producing electricity that give
scientifically or industrially useful end products.

Working principle
First, you have to choose the right electrodes and electrolyte by figuring out the chemical
reaction or reactions you want to happen when the electric current is switched on. The metal
atoms that plate your object come from out of the electrolyte, so if you want to copper plate
something you need an electrolyte made from a solution of a copper salt, while for gold plating
you need a gold-based electrolyte and so on.
Next, you have to ensure the electrode you want to plate is completely clean. Otherwise, when
metal atoms from the electrolyte are deposited onto it, they won't form a good bond and they
may simply rub off again. Generally, cleaning is done by dipping the electrode into a strong acid
or alkaline solution or by (briefly) connecting the electroplating circuit in reverse. If the
electrode is really clean, atoms from the plating metal bond to it effectively by joining very
strongly onto the outside edges of its crystalline structure.
Now we're ready for the main part of electroplating. We need two electrodes made from different
conducting materials, an electrolyte, and an electricity supply. Generally, one of the electrodes is
made from the metal we're trying to plate and the electrolyte is a solution of a salt of the same
metal. So, for example, if we're copper plating some brass, we need a copper electrode, a brass
electrode, and a solution of a copper-based compound such as copper sulfate solution. Metals
such as gold and silver don't easily dissolve so have to be made into solutions using strong and
dangerously unpleasant cyanide-based chemicals. The electrode that will be plated is generally
made from a cheaper metal or a nonmetal coated with a conducting material such as graphite.
Either way, it has to conduct electricity or no electric current will flow and no plating will occur.
We dip the two electrodes into the solution and connect them up into a circuit so the copper
becomes the positive electrode (or anode) and the brass becomes the negative electrode (or
cathode). When we switch on the power, the copper sulfate solution splits into ions (atoms with
too few or too many electrons). Copper ions (which are positively charged) are attracted to the
negatively charged brass electrode and slowly deposit on it producing a thin layer of copper
plate. Meanwhile, sulfate ions (which are negatively charged) arrive at the positively charged
copper anode, releasing electrons that move through the battery toward the negative, brass
electrode.
It takes time for electroplated atoms to build up on the surface of the negative electrode. How
long exactly depends on the strength of the electric current you use and the concentration of the
electrolyte. Increasing either of these increases the speed at which ions and electrons move

through the circuit and the speed of the plating process. As long as ions and electrons keep
moving, current keeps flowing and the plating process continues.

Advantage and disadvantage

Advantages
Metal plating provides many benefits to products made from metal and other materials. Plating is
a manufacturing process in which a thin layer of metal coats a substrate. This can be achieved
through electroplating, which requires an electric current. The technique results in one or several
of the following benefits.
It enhances electrical conductivity. For many mass produced pieces, electroplating with silver,
gold, or tin-lead alloy will increase a components conductivity cheaply. Electroplating increases
heat resistance. Using a zinc alloy or gold will enable the electroplated piece to resist higher
temperatures than just the base metal would allow. This can be used to increase the durability of
engine parts and other components. It reduces frictional coefficients between pieces. When two
pieces are in constant contact, nickel can be used to plate them. Nickel against nickel has a much
lower frictional coefficient than other materials. It is used to prevent corrosion. Coating steel
with zinc prevents rust formation and electroplating is often less expensive than hot dip or inline
galvanization. Electroplating may seem like alchemy, but it is actually very easy to do given a
few simple ingredients. It has many benefits and features for both industrial and residential
applications

Disadvantages
Electroplating works on a molecular level. As such, when a layer of superior metal is put over
the base metal, that coating may be extremely thin. This means that either you have to settle for
very thin coats of metal, or you have to put multiple coats onto the base metal. Both of these are
major disadvantages of the process, because if you have to repeat it over and over again, it may
end up being much more time consuming and expensive than using other methods may have
been.

When ions of the superior metal adhere to the base metal it isn't like the coating is being brushed
on in a uniform matter. In fact the coatings that you get with electroplating might actually be
lumpy and uneven. This means that you'll most often have to grind and machine the parts even
after they've been electroplated in the ionic bath. Other methods, such as dipping or spraying,
may give you a more uniform coating of superior metal without as much of a need for so much
machining afterward.
While electroplating can put a good coating of a superior metal onto a lesser metal using only a
current of electricity, that coating may often be brittle and easy to crack. This is especially true
with chrome. The superior metal may form micro cracks, which can let in impurities and lead to
the overall destruction of the electroplated layer. In order to prevent this you may have to
electroplate multiple layers of metal on to the base material, but that doesn't guarantee that the
layers won't crack and fall apart one at a time from micro stresses.

Summary
The metal plating process involves creating an outer coating of nickel, copper, chromium or
other metal to inhibit corrosion or to enhance the appearance of the parent metal.
It is usually done by immersing the metal in an acid solution with an anode electric current and
cathode. The material to be plated is made the cathode (negative electrode) of an electrolysis cell
through which a direct electric current is passed. The solution or bath contains the required metal
in an oxidized form (either as a complex ion or aquated cation). The anode is usually a bar of the
metal being plated. During the electrolysis process, the metal is deposited on the work and the
metal from the bar dissolves. The process is governed by Faraday's law of electrolysis.

References

http://www.ehow.com/list_6577444_disadvantages-electroplating.html
T. H. E. Purposes and O. F. Electoplating, e - M(s) at anode M(s) M, pp.

18.
Bal Seal Engineering, Metal Plating Processes and Methods of Measuring

Surface Hardness and Thickness of Coatings, p. 15, 2003.

L. D. Electrochemistry, B. Nickel, D. Hcl, and A. C. Cu, Electoplating of
Copper, pp. 12