Quantification of Additives in a Watts Nickel Bath by the Cyclic Voltammetric Stripping Technique

SUMMARY The characterization of nickel deposits and quantification and optimisation of the various additives in a Watts bath can be done successfully using the cyclic voltammetric stripping technique (CVS). This technique can be used as an on-line process which can be very helpful, for industry. This powerful analytical tool takes advantage of the polarisation effect. In this paper an attempt has been made to study the effects of saccharin, butynediol, coumarin on the deposit characteristics of nickel. CVS has been used to quantify saccharin, butynediol, coumarin content in a standard Watts bath. The implementation of the CVS technique in areas such as PC board production has increased the process yield, decreased the downtime and decreased the usage of excess of additive.