Electrolytic Codeposition of Silica Particles with Aluminum from AlCl[sub 3]-Dimethylsulfone Electrolytes

The electrolytic codeposition of silica particles with aluminum was investigated from an -dimethylsulfone electrolyte containing monodisperse silica particles with a diam of 0.2 μm. The electrodeposition was done at and at current densities between 6 and Dense aluminum coatings with a thickness of 20 μm were obtained at a plating rate of 77 μm/h. The coatings contained a homogeneous dispersion of individual silica particles. The amount of codeposited silica particles was found to depend on the concentration of silica particles suspended in the electrolyte and the current density.