PULSED CURRENT ELECTRODEPOSITION OF POROUS COPPER

Abstract

There is leading applications and importance of porous copper continue in many critical areas. Copper’s thermal management properties as well as its ductility and malleability has urged researchers towards optimisation of porous copper. Porous Copper is mainly used as catalyst carrier for high density catalyst flow and heat sinks for heat dissipation. Porosity increases the surface area of the metal hence providing acute environment for the dissipation of heat at a greater rate. Electric current plays an important role in electro deposition of these micro porous copper foams. By employing different types of current and varying their parameter, we can obtain different metal structure with varying porosity, Surface Area and mechanical strength. In this study we employed pulsed current to deposit porous copper on a hydrogen bubble dynamic template. The duty cycle and frequency of current was varied tending to optimize it for best possible copper metal foam. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy was incorporated to provide the true active surface area of the deposits at various frequency and duty cycle. The micro-structures of the deposits were obtained by Scanning Electron Microscopy. The stability and instability domain of the deposits are discussed further correlating with the EIS data and the micro-structures obtained.