Cyanide-Free Copper-Silver Electroplated Coatings on Carbon Steel Exposed to 5% NaClO Bleacher

This work deals with the development of cyanide-free copper-silver electroplated coatings on AISI-1075 steel and its corrosion behavior under a 5% NaClO solution (commercial household bleach). A cyanide-free bath based on sodium thiosulfate was employed to obtain the silver coatings using current densities from 0.2 to 5.0 mA/cm² and different concentrations of EDTA (additive). The evolution of the open circuit potential with time showed that silver is anodic with respect to copper, so there were no intense attacks in the silver pores. Adhesion measurements were made on both coatings by the tape test. The behavior against corrosion was evaluated by polarization resistance (Rp) in samples with the best coating adhesion. The best results were obtained with a silver coating of about 20 μm in thickness deposited on copper coating previously polished with colloidal silica. The best performance was attributed to the formation of AgCl as demonstrated by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.