Journal of the Chinese Institute of Chemical Engineers, Vol.37, No.3, 239-247, 2006
AFM, EDS and XRD microstructural characterizations of Pd-Ag/PSS membranes
In the present investigation, dense, defect free palladium and palladium-silver alloy membranes were prepared on porous stainless steel by means of the sequential electroless plating technique. Full characterizations of the Pd-Ag/PSS membranes were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopic analysis (EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and an X-ray diffractometer (XRD). AFM images showed that in the electroless plating process, lower skin layer roughness and a lower deposition rate were related. Although deposition was conducted through a sequential process, the surfaces on or inside the substrate showed homogenous deposition, as determined through EDS analysis. XRD reflection peaks indicated that the palladium and silver together formed a homogeneous alloy after annealing. The relationship between the average lattice spacing and peak positions can be used to estimate the membrane composition.
Keywords:sequential electroless plating;Pd-Ag/PSS membrane;scanning electron microscopy;energy dispersive spectroscopic analysis;atomic force microscopy