The TCCT process provides a sustainable, drop-in replacement for conventional tin-free packaging steel process. It is food-safe and suitable for a wide range of packaging applications. However, the chemistry of the trivalent plating process is complex, and the effects of ageing of the production bath are not fully understood. During the layer deposition process, some of the elements become incorporated in the chrome layer, thereby influencing the layer properties.
Previous research showed that iron and sulphate have the most impact on the deposition process. These contaminants in excess could cause a diminishing performance of the deposited TCCT layers resulting in adhesion deficiencies. The mechanisms causing the inclusion of these contaminants and the ways to control the properties of the TCCT layers will be studied at the Catalysis and Surface Chemistry group at Leiden University.