Effect of Substrate Texture on Electroplating

Abstract

Electroplating studies have been conducted extensively in the past due to their lower cost and fastness. Mechanical and functional properties of such coatings depend highly on the chemistry and the structure of the same. Deviation from random orientation in the crystallographic directions is known as preferred orientation or texturing in materials. Depending upon the texture, material property may be highly anisotropic. So, texture study of coating is of prime importance and moreover how the texturing phenomenon is occurring in coatings is also to be examined. The influence of substrate texture and electroplating conditions on the texture and surface morphology of electrodeposits is still unclear. Preferred orientation or texturing is governed by the lowest energy condition. During growth of a specific phase, there is a competition between strain energy and surface energy. But, experimental analysis of such system has not been done widely. In this study, an attempt has been made to study the role of substrate texture on the coating texture. Routine microscopic study and surface mechanical testing was also carried out.