Evaluation of the corrosion resistance and cytotoxicity of electrodeposited gold on various types of intermediate layers

W.A.T.dos Santos¹*, S.L.Assis¹ , S.O. Rogero¹, M. Terada², I. Costa¹

¹  Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN) São Paulo-05508-000 - Brazil, ²  Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (EPUSP/PMT) São Paulo 05508-900– Brazil)

Abstract

Gold plated surfaces are widely applied in several technical and decorative fields. The two main issues regarding the discussion on the field of precious metals coatings concern the increase in the use of thinner gold layers and “Ni-free” substrate. In order to ensure the quality of the final products the effects of the plated surfaces on their performance require thorough and accurate research. In this paper, the corrosion resistance of gold plated nickel, copper, and bronze was investigated by electrochemical methods specifically potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical  impedance spectroscopy in a phosphate-buffered solution (PBS). The cytotoxicity of the gold plated substrates was also evaluated and compared. The results showed that the substrate related to the best corrosion resistance and cytotoxicity among the tested ones was bronze and that with the lowest performance was nickel.

Este trabalho foi apresentado em 19-22 de Outubro de 2010 no congresso Asia Pacific Interfinish 2010 e

10th International Conference on Applied Surface Engineering e

5th International Conference on Surface and Interface Science and Engineering