Electroformed Au, Cu, Au-Cu layers and composites display severe brittleness in both as plated and heat treated conditions. This phenomenon has not been considered in the literature previously. In this paper we show the relevant embrittling phenomenology and explain it with the incorporation of hydrogen produced in electrochemical side reactions occurring during the formation of the metallic deposits. Our conclusions were drawn on the basis of the following experiments: (i) electrochemical measurements-proving the effect of bath composition on the hydrogen evolution side reaction-(ii) hydrogen removal tests-hot extraction and high vacuum treatmepts-(iii) mass spectrometric identification of released gases, (iv) SEM observations of micrometric voids, (v) SAXS measurements of nanometric voids and (vi) SEM fractography of heat treated samples. Hydrogen removal by a high vacuum room temperature treatment is proposed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hydrogen incorporation and embrittlement of electroformed Au, Cu and Au-Cu / B., Bozzini; B., Brevaglieri; P. L., Cavallotti; Natali, Stefano; Signorelli, Giuseppe. - In: ENGINEERING FAILURE ANALYSIS. - ISSN 1350-6307. - 6:2(1999), pp. 83-92. [10.1016/s1350-6307(98)00039-9]
Hydrogen incorporation and embrittlement of electroformed Au, Cu and Au-Cu
NATALI, Stefano;SIGNORELLI, Giuseppe
1999
Abstract
Electroformed Au, Cu, Au-Cu layers and composites display severe brittleness in both as plated and heat treated conditions. This phenomenon has not been considered in the literature previously. In this paper we show the relevant embrittling phenomenology and explain it with the incorporation of hydrogen produced in electrochemical side reactions occurring during the formation of the metallic deposits. Our conclusions were drawn on the basis of the following experiments: (i) electrochemical measurements-proving the effect of bath composition on the hydrogen evolution side reaction-(ii) hydrogen removal tests-hot extraction and high vacuum treatmepts-(iii) mass spectrometric identification of released gases, (iv) SEM observations of micrometric voids, (v) SAXS measurements of nanometric voids and (vi) SEM fractography of heat treated samples. Hydrogen removal by a high vacuum room temperature treatment is proposed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
