Imaging and chemical investigation of silver coating

The recovery of silver from materials such as plates, still used in clinical radiography [1], or scrap jewelery is still very popular. The subject of the research, part of which was microscopic imaging, was to recreate the behavior of an electrochemically deposited silver coating. The copper electrodes were covered with a layer of silver obtained from electrochemical recovery. The research was to assess the behavior of such a coating as a decorative and protective layer on jewelry, i.e. products in contact with human sweat, which can cause corrosion. The Kelvin probe technique was used to determine the degree of potential degradation, i.e. to distinguish between areas covered with a silver layer and with an exposed copper substrate. It allows to determine the surface potential of a given metal, which in turn is proportional to its position in the voltage series of metals and alloys. It is therefore possible to distinguish metals of different nobility such as copper and silver. Measurements were carried out in semi-contact and non-contact mode with the use of the CDT-NCHR probe. The collection contains 8 images.
[1]       V.R.K. Galarpe, G. Leopoldo, Potential Recovery of Silver (Ag) from X-ray Fixer Waste by Alkaline Treatment, Eng. Technol. Appl. Sci. Res. 7 (2017) 2017. doi:10.48084/etasr.1526.