CURRENT POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE HALF-REACTIONS IN 2 ELECTROLESS NICKEL PLATING BATHS USING THE QUARTZ CRYSTAL MICROBALANCE ELECTRODE

Two similar electroless nickel baths, using hypophosphite and dimethylamine borane as respective reducing agents, were investigated using the quartz crystal microbalance electrode. The potential dependences of the half-reactions in the two baths are significantly different, and the nickel plating rates also differ from those observed at the plating potentials in the absence of any reducing agent. In both baths the presence of the anodic half-reaction leads to a substantial increase in the rate of nickel deposition, indicating the existence of important interactions between the half-reactions at the mixed potential.