Brush Plating of Ag-Bi Coatings from a Cyanide-Free Solution

Ag-Bi coatings were synthesized on copper substrate using brush plating with a cyanide-free electroplating solution for electrical contact applications. Phase constituents, surface morphology, and microhardness of the deposited coatings were characterized. It is found that grain refinement into the nanosized range can be observed for the Ag-Bi coatings with dense and compact microstructure. The electroplated Ag-Bi alloy displayed an apparent hardness increase compared with the pure silver coating. Ag-Bi alloy coatings show promise in the field of electrical contact components used in the electrical power industry.