Characterisation of Electroplated Gold Coatings for Dental Applications: Estimation of Thickness Using Non-Destructive Electron-Probe Microanalysis Related to Plating Time

Objectives: This study aimed to measure non-destructively gold (Au) electrodeposited on a high-gold alloy by modulating coating time and comparing this to sputtering Au to known thicknesses. Methods: Au was electrodeposited (plated) on 11 high-gold alloy plates (A–K) at 2.8V between 20 and 220 min. Seven Au strips were sputter coated on the same alloy to known thicknesses (range 50–500 nm). Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used to measure minimal electron energy (E0) required to penetrate Au coatings and generate x-ray signals of 1% atomic palladium (Pd) from the underlying alloy for test samples and Au strips. % Pd X-ray concentration at maximum 30 kV was also obtained. The obtained signal–thickness relationship of known Au strip thicknesses was used to calculate Au thickness on the A–K samples based on two analytical relations. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) was used as a complementary method to ensure coating thickness estimations were accurate. Results: EDS values for all reference and unknown thicknesses were obtained and verified with XRF. Correlating these signals with the Data Analysis Software and matching with known plating times allowed estimation of Au thickness of the unknown samples (range 27–425 nm). Estimated thicknesses were shown to have a linear relationship with plating time except for samples C–D, where there was an inverted relationship. Significance: A non-destructive method for measuring electrodeposited thickness of Au on high-gold alloys related to plating time was developed and verified. There is a linear relationship to Au thickness and plating time between 20 and 220 min.

Development of Thermomechanical Processes as an Alternative to Grain Refiners in 18 Carat Gold Alloys

The use of grain refiners, such as iridium, in 18 kt gold alloys is a common practice in jewelry industrial applications. The use of these elements leads, however, to an increase in the costs of raw materials and greater attention during the solidification phases and during the refining and recycling of alloys is required. This work aims to demonstrate that through the optimization of thermo-mechanical processes, it is possible to obtain a result comparable to that obtained with refiner in terms of workability, mechanical and aesthetic properties and corrosion behavior. The study focused on evaluating the grain growth in annealing processes after plastic deformation, also examining the casting phase and the effect of the different cooling rates. The samples, after the different thermo-mechanical treatments, were characterized in terms of microstructure, grain size and micro-hardness comparing the results with the ones of an iridium-containing alloy. The results showed that with proper optimization of annealing time is possible to obtain, without grain refiners, gold alloys with properties similar to ones obtained with Iridium as a grain refiner.

Wear Resistance of Platinum and Gold Alloys: A Comparative Study

A series of iterative wear and corrosion tests were conducted on two 950 platinum alloys, two 585 white gold alloys, and two 750 white gold alloys. Testing followed standardized industrial procedures in order to provide comparable and reproducible conditions. Wear testing comprised a sequence including abrasion testing, corrosion testing, and polish testing. Mass loss was recorded after each test cycle. Five complete test cycles were followed by two long-term polish tests. The total testing time was ca. 250h. A pronounced difference in the mass and volume loss between the platinum and the gold alloys was observed. The absolute volume loss per surface area of the platinum alloys was a factor of two to three times lower than that of the gold alloys. The highest volume loss was observed for 750 AuPd, followed by 585 AuPd, 585 AuNi and 750 AuNi with the latter three showing similar wear behaviours. The mass loss increased linearly with testing time. No measurable mass loss was observed by corrosion testing in our limited duration test cycle and the only alloy exhibiting significant corrosion was 585 AuNi. Hardness of the alloys was determined by Vickers microhardness testing at a 100g load. Notably, higher hardness levels were not found to be an indicator for low mass or volume loss.

Effects of Thiourea Stripping of 14 Karat White Gold Alloys With the Addition of SDS Surfactant

A stripping solution with thiourea, iron(III) sulfate, and sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS) was employed to strip Ni-based 14 karat white gold alloys, and the formation of the NiS byproduct and elimination of passivation were investigated in the presence of 0.0-0.2 g/L SDS. White gold alloy samples with a flat shape were cast by gypsum investment and were stripped using the prepared stripping solution. Subsequently, the surface morphology, elimination of the passivation layer, weight loss, microstructure, elemental composition, and electrochemical properties of the samples were analyzed by optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, precision scale, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and linear sweep voltammetry, respectively. It was found that passivation layers of the as-cast samples were removed by the suggested stripping solution. Upon the addition of SDS, the stripped sample showed a bright silver color without NiS, while the sample showed a dark tarnished appearance due to NiS formation without SDS. The weight loss ratio decreased with increasing SDS content and stabilized at 0.2 % for SDS concentrations exceeding 0.15 g/L, and the sample showed a uniformly etched microstructure. EDS results showed that NiS was formed without SDS addition, while linear sweep voltammetry results indicated that NiS formation was restrained upon SDS addition because SDS suppresses the formation of formamidine disulfide from thiourea. Thus, the suggested thiourea stripping with SDS addition was successfully applied to Ni-based 14 karat white gold alloys.