Effect of Additives and Slimes on Nodulation of Copper Deposited from Industrial Electrorefining Electrolytes
摘要
The rotating cylinder Hull cell was used to plate deposits from industrial electrorefining electrolyte samples, and different factors related to nodule formation were examined. Excessive glue concentration was shown to initiate nodulation. Insufficient glue resulted in lacy deposits at low current densities (<200 A/m2). The effect of current density varied, but in general, a current density above 300 A/m2 was required to cause nodules, and this was attributed to mass transfer limitations. Nodulation formed below 300 A/m2 is likely due to suspended slime particles in the electrolyte. Changing glue or thiourea concentrations were not effective in treating nodulation caused by slime particles.