Electrodeposition of eutectic Sn–Zn alloy by pulse plating

A uniform deposition of a Sn–Zn alloy deposit was achieved by pulse plating. Apparently, the relative composition of Sn and Zn in the deposit was affected by the bath compositions and pulse condition. A pulse-plating condition of 99.9 ms on-time and 1.0 ms off-time gave rise to a eutectic Sn–Zn deposit, with a eutectic temperature of 198.8 °C (as analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry) and a uniform composition distribution across the deposit. A mechanism for explaining the pulse-deposition behavior of the Sn–Zn eutectic deposit was proposed. A longer off-time period, 99.9 ms versus 0.1 ms, resulted in a nodular, yet thinner deposit.