Metal plating via electrochemical reduction of oxide layers formed by electrophoretic deposition

A novel electroplating technique is proposed using simple and non-toxic aqueous solutions in contrast with conventional plating baths. The metal plating process consists of a two-step procedure, i.e., combination of well-known electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and electrochemical reduction. Initially, the EPD of metal oxide particles dispersed in pure water is performed so that an oxide layer can be formed on the electrode surface. The coating layer is then electrochemically reduced to the metallic state in a neutral electrolyte solution. Dissolution-precipitation of the oxide in the second step plays an important role in densification of the resultant metal film. This communication briefly discusses the electroplating mechanism and the effectiveness of the proposed technique.