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Aluminum plating solution

Q. Hi I am trying to electroplate aluminum metal into the pores of alumina. Can I get a ready-made aluminum plating solution?

Phaneendra Medida
Drexel University - Philadelphia ,PA,USA
2002

A. Hi Phaneendra. Aluminum is too active a metal to electroplate in the conventional sense (out of an aqueous plating bath), so no such solutions are available.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
(Ted can offer longterm or instant help)
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2002

Q. If you could please explain what you mean by aluminum being too active of a metal for conventional plating methods I would appreciate it.

Thank You

Bobby Lineberry
- Elizabeth City North Carolina USA
2006

Metals range from very noble (wanting to come out of solution / stay out of solution / stay metallic), like gold and platinum, to very active (wanting to remain in solution, combined with other materials), like sodium.

When a highly active metal is dissolved in a water-based (aqueous) solution and you try to electroplate it out, all that will happen is the water will separate into hydrogen and oxygen (or hydroxide). You'll reduce hydrogen from H+ to H (actually H2, hydrogen gas) before you will be able to reduce Al++ to aluminum (metal).

It is possible to electroplate aluminum out of molten salts, and organic solutions in an oxygen-free environment, but that doesn't sound like an answer to Phaneedra's situation.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
(Ted can offer longterm or instant help)
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2006

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