Electroplating in CO2-in-water and water-in-CO2 emulsions using a nickel electroplating solution with anionic fluorinated surfactant

Abstract This paper discusses the dispersion behaviors in an agitated ternary system of CO2 and a nickel electroplating solution with a novel anionic surfactant F(CF(CF3)CF2O)4CF(CF3)COO−NH4+, as functions of pressure and CO2 phase volume fraction. The CO2 volume fraction in the emulsion system strongly influences the type of emulsion. The inversion from CO2-in-water (C/W) to water-in-CO2 (W/C) emulsion depends on pressure, which in turn depends on the density. On the basis of the observed dispersion behaviors, the application of the C/W and W/C emulsions in electroplating has been examined. The formation of a C/W emulsion with a continuous aqueous phase proved to be essential for the electroplating reaction. The W/C emulsions, on the other hand, were only poorly conducive to the electroplating reaction.