PULSE REVERSE CURRENT ELECTRODEPOSITION OF COMPOSITE COATINGS

THE RESEARCH IS DEVELOPING A NOVEL METHOD FOR PRODUCING COMPOSITE COATINGS WITH STRONG COMPOSITIONAL GRADIENTS. SUCH COATINGS HAVE PROVEN EXTREMELY USEFUL BECAUSE THEIR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES CHANGE CONTINUOUSLY WITH DEPTH. COMPOSITE COATINGS PROVIDE A SMOOTH TRANSITION BETWEEN DISPARATE MATERIALS SUCH AS METAL AND CERAMICS. THE METHOD COMBINES ELECTROLYTIC CODEPOSITION WITH PULSE REVERSE CURRENT (PRC) ELECTROPLATING. BY CAREFUL CONTROL OF THE WAVEFORM, ELECTROLYTIC PRC CODEPOSITION CAN BOTH ENHANCE AND DEPRESS THE RATIO OF PARTICLE TO METAL DEPOSITED OVER THAT FOUND FROM CODEPOSITION BY MEANS OF DIRECT CURRENT PLATING. THIS INNOVATION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE NOVEL AND IMPROVED COATINGS IN THE ELECTROPLATING INDUSTRY. IT MAY PRODUCE NEW FUNCTIONALLY GRADIENT FILMS INCORPORATING MATERIALS, SUCH AS LIQUID DROPS OF HEAT SENSITIVE COMPOUNDS, NOT SUITABLE FOR USE WITH THE MORE ESTABLISHED PRACTICES OF PLASMA SPRAYING OR POWDER SPRAY FORMING.