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Indium Alloy as Cadmium Brush Plating Replacement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Elizabeth Berman ,
Paul Brezovec ,
Melissa Klingenberg ,
Thomas Naguy ,
Eileen Schmura  and
Natasha Voevodin
Elizabeth Berman
Affiliation:
Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, 2179 12th Street, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, U.S.A.
Paul Brezovec
Affiliation:
Concurrent Technologies Corporation, 100 CTC Dr., Johnstown, PA 15904, U.S.A.
Melissa Klingenberg
Affiliation:
Concurrent Technologies Corporation, 100 CTC Dr., Johnstown, PA 15904, U.S.A.
Thomas Naguy
Affiliation:
Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, 2179 12th Street, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, U.S.A.
Eileen Schmura
Affiliation:
Concurrent Technologies Corporation, 425 6th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, U.S.A.
Natasha Voevodin
Affiliation:
Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, 2179 12th Street, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, U.S.A. University of Dayton Research Institute, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469, U.S.A.
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Abstract

It is well-known that cadmium and its corrosion product (cadmium oxide) are carcinogenic and toxic. Consequently, efforts to eliminate cadmium from original equipment and repair processes have been on-going. One potential replacement is indium, which is a soft post-transition metal, whose primary use is in the form of indium tin oxide, e.g., in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The semi-conductive properties of indium oxide alloys make it possible to use these for cadmium brush plating replacement in applications where contact resistance and impedance are critical parameters. Critical requirements of an alternative to cadmium brush plating in a corrosive industrial atmosphere are (1) be sacrificial to mild steel and (2) provide good electrical conductivity. Cadmium oxide remains semi-conductive, while most other pure metal oxides are electrical insulators, such as aluminum oxide, nickel oxide, and zinc oxide, and therefore, fail in meeting the requirement for bonding and grounding. Similar to cadmium oxide, indium oxide is semi-conductive, but indium exhibits other properties such as cold welding. This paper discusses indium- electroplating approaches to overcome the insulating limitation of pure metal plating and to replace cadmium brush plating. Test results are given for the brush-plated indium-tin alloy as compared to cadmium brush plating and conclusions on such replacement feasibility are provided.

Keywords

CdIncorrosion
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1295: Symposium N – Intermetallic-Based Alloys for Structural and Functional Applications , 2011 , mrsf10-1295-n05-42
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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