Acoustic streaming enhanced electrodeposition of nickel

Electrochemical deposition of Ni from a Watts-type electrolyte under the influence of high frequency ultrasound at both high (250 W) and low (5–10 W) power sonication was investigated. An improvement in the material distribution of the deposited Ni in millimeter-sized groove-features on the cathode surface was observed. A theory based on mechanical interaction between organic additives adhering to the cathode surface and ultrasonically induced streaming-phenomena is presented here to account for the observed uniform filling behaviour. The present study further indicates a correlation between fringe-patterns on the surface of the deposit and near-boundary acoustic streaming.