Effects of electroless plating chemistry on the synthesis of palladium membranes

The effects of plating chemistry on palladium deposition, plating efficiency and membrane microstructure have been studied for two palladium electroless plating solutions, hydrazine-based and hypophosphite-based plating baths. The electroless plating kinetics of palladium onto seeded supports have been determined for hypophosphite-based plating bath, and a simple kinetic model has been developed. The model provides an accurate prediction of deposition rate and film thickness as a function of plating parameters. Most importantly, the experimental results demonstrated that plating chemistry plays a vital role on both plating performance and film microstructure.