Copper Electroplating on Mg Alloy in Pyrophosphate Solution

In this work, uniform thickness and good adhesion of electrodeposited copper layer were achieved on AZ91 Mg alloy in alkaline noncyanide copper solution containing pyrophosphate ion by employing appropriate zincate pretreatment. Without zincate pretreatment, the electrodeposited copper layer on AZ91 Mg alloy was porous and showed poor adhesion which was explained by small number of nucleation sites of copper due to rapid dissolution of the magnesium substrate in the pyrophosphate solution. The zincate pretreatment was found as one of the most important steps that can form a conducting layer to cover AZ91 surface which decreased the dissolution rate of AZ91 Mg alloy about 40 times in the copper pyrophosphate solution. Electrodeposited copper layer on AZ91 Mg alloy after an appropriate zincate pretreatment showed good adhesion and uniform thickness with bright surface appearance, independent of the deposition time but the surface roughness of the electrodeposited copper layer increased with increasing Cu deposition time.