Toward a universal electropolishing solution

Electropolishing of surfaces: theory and applications

“…11,12 Electrolytes used for electropolishing are most often concentrated acid solutions having a high viscosity, such as mixtures of sulphuric acid and phosphoric acid. 13,14 Other electropolishing electrolytes reported in the literature include mixtures of perchlorates with acetic anhydride and methanolic solutions of sulphuric acid. Electropolishing has many applications in the metal finishing industry because of its simplicity and that it can be applied to objects of complex shape.…”

“…1 Sometimes methanol, instead of water is used as a solvent. 13,14,52 In the last century late fifties and early sixties, the development of electrochemical machining showed that fast dissolution of metals in natural electrolytes under vigorous convection conditions may lead to electropolished surfaces, 53 with the controlling factors being convective mass transfer. 54,55 Soon after, it was found that the electropolishing in neutral salt solutions could be reached at relatively low average current densities and flow rates if pulse current with high density was utilised.…”

A study on mutual interaction between atomistic and macroscopic phenomena during electrochemical processes using FD–KMC model: Application to CV test in simple copper sulfate bath

“…Because the desorption phenomenon could act as an additional leveling process, the surface gets smoother which causes further decrease in surface activity during the anodic dissolution process. The decrease in the surface roughness of an electrode subjected to an anodic overpotential is a well-known phenomenon called electropolishing process which could lead to a mirror finish or nanoscale patterned surfaces in certain electrochemical condition [1,27,28]. Lower sweep rates cause the copper layer to experience higher number of desorption events during the reverse sweep and hence show lower roughness and surface activity at E op and higher anodic potentials.…”

Method for jet polishing two‐phase materials

“…However, utilising a Fischione jet polisher as against the single jet South Bay polisher used by Kestel for the above materials, 1 pm diameter aluminium-calciumsilicate inclusions in palladium were lost by the LiCl solution but were sufficiently retained using a perchloric based solution such that phase identification by selected-area diffraction and X-ray microanalysis were possible (Witcomb, 1992). Clearly the concept of a universal electropolishing solution (for example, Gabe, 1972), has not been achieved. It is for this reason that the present technique is believed to be of assistance in the polishing of relatively coarse disparate-phased materials.…”