What Kinds of Plating Baths are Used in Gold Electroplating?

What Kinds of Plating Baths are Used in Gold Electroplating?

Gold and gold alloy plating is used in a wide variety of applications. Gold plating solutions can be classified into five general groups: alkaline gold cyanide, for gold and gold alloy plating; neutral cyanide gold, for high purity gold plating; acid gold cyanide, for bright hard gold and gold alloy plating; noncyanide (generally sulfite), for gold and gold plating; and miscellaneous. Alkaline gold cyanide plating baths contain potassium gold cyanide and potassium cyanide. Current densities range from 11 to 86 A/m2 and cathode efficiencies range from 90 to 100 percent.

Neutral gold cyanide plating baths contain 8 to 30 g/L of potassium gold cyanide. Current densities range from 11 to 4,300 A/m2 and cathode efficiencies range from 90 to 98 percent.

Acid gold cyanide plating baths contain 8 to 16 g/L of potassium gold cyanide. Current densities range from 11 to 4,300 A/m2, and cathode efficiencies range from 30 to 40 percent.