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Electroless deposition interchangeably describes three different plating mechanism?

2006

I know electroless plating is a term coined by Brenner and Riddell.
It means autocatalytic plating.
When I read many papers recently, I find electroless plating seems like to use to describe followed three mechanism.
1. Autocatalytic plating (We can get thick metal film as we control the reaction time)
2. Substrate catalyzed plating (when substrate is covered by metal reduced by reducing agent, the reduction ceases. Because substrate is no longer exposed, the reaction will almost cease)
3. Immersion plating = galvanic displacement plating = electrochemical displacement
plating
It really confuses us.
In my opinion, electroless means 1 and 2.
It still a little problem for electroless deposition means 2, because the reaction will cease in the longer time. It doesn't a autocatalytic reaction.

We want to realize the above terminology clearly.
Please help us!
Thank You very much!

Chih Chieh Hsu
student - Taiwan

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I believe that only definition 1 should be called electroless plating because it is the most commonly accepted by professionals. But in a world where different languages and dialects continually evolve, and shorthand and slang arises each day, it probably won't prove possible to "officially define" phrases like 'electroless plating'. It would probably be best to just use the more definitive phrases you have already introduced.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
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2006

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