Effect of Sonochemical Treatment Modes on the Electrodeposition of Cu–Sn Alloy from Oxalic Acid Electrolyte

Abstract

Methods of scanning electron microscopy, potentiodynamic polarization, and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to study the kinetic features of the electrodeposition process of the copper–tin alloy from an oxalic acid electrolyte and analyze the structure, composition, and luster of coatings formed under sonochemical treatment conditions at varied power of the ultrasonic field and current load. The ultrasonic treatment with power of 8–40 W dm^–3 makes it possible to 2–8 times intensify the cathodic process and obtain coatings containing 10–15 wt % tin with luster of 20–40%. The specific content of tin in a coating being formed is nearly independent of the ultrasound power and grows with increasing the cathodic current density.