Study on the Formation Mechanism of Hard Chrome Surface Morphology by Atomic Force Microscopy

Atomic force microscopy was applied to study the formation and growth mechanism of thin chrome layers prepared under various pulse plating conditions. The chrome was electro-deposited from an electrolyte bath containing 250 gl-l of chromic acid, 25 gl-l of sulfuric acid using direct current density of $1.6{\;}mA.$\textrm{mm}^{-2} and pulse currents with on-off time from 5 to 900 ms. The higher current density enhanced nucleation rate which resulted in refining grain size. The chrome growth kinetics determining nodule size and shape significantly depends on the duration of on-time rather than duration of off-time and on/off time ratio.