Copper plating is a process of coating other materials with metallic copper for increased durability, strength, or visual appeal. It is often used to improve thermal and electrical conductivity in wiring and cookware. Electroplating is a common method for copper plating, but it can be dangerous. Copper plating is also used for decorative purposes and requires a nickel coating before plating iron or steel.
Copper plating is a coating of metallic copper on another material, often other metals. Plating is designed to increase durability, strength, or visual appeal, and copper plating is often used specifically to improve thermal and electrical conductivity. Copper plating is most often seen in wiring and cookware.
Occasionally, copper plating is used for decorative purposes, giving objects a brassy look. Copper plating is most often used, however, for electrical wiring as copper conducts heat very well. Also, many circuit boards are copper plated.
Because copper is an outstanding conductor of heat, copper plating is also popular in cookware. The rate at which copper heats up allows for an even surface heat and, therefore, allows for more even cooking. Professional chefs generally used solid copper pans, usually lined with steel for durability, but these are expensive and generally not within a hobby cook’s budget. Plated pots and pans are usually made of aluminum or copper-plated steel. These plated cookware still allows for the benefits of copper heating without the expense of pure copper alternatives.
Copper plating is often applied by a process called electroplating. Electroplating is simple enough to do at home, but it can be dangerous, so it’s not recommended for the inexperienced. Simple electroplating setups are often used in high school science demonstrations, but nickel rather than copper is often used as the plating substance.
A simple setup for electroplating requires the item to be plated, a battery with positive and negative connecting leads, a solid copper rod, and a metallic copper salt, such as copper sulfate, that has been dissolved in water. The object to be plated and the copper rod are both placed in the saline solution and connected to the battery: the copper rod to the positive and the non-copper object to the negative. In this configuration, the non-copper object becomes the cathode and the copper rod becomes the anode.
When the salt is dissolved in the solution, the molecules break down into positively charged copper and negatively charged sulfur ions. Since the cathode is hooked to the negative output of the battery, it becomes negatively charged. The negative charge attracts the copper ions in the solution and they stick to the outside of the object. Meanwhile, the copper atoms from the anode are drawn into the solution, replenishing those that stick to the nonmetallic object.
This process is more complicated when trying to plate iron or steel with copper. Copper passively adheres to iron-based substances when placed in such a solution. Passive transfers do not hold plating, so they are useless for this purpose. To plate iron or steel with copper, a nickel coating must first be applied to the iron.
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