The attributes of electroplated cadmium are hard to match: Electroplated cadmium plays a vital role both in terms of total cadmium consumption as well as in the importance of its applications. On the other hand, the metal's toxicity is undisputed and stringent controls on its use and handling are virtually inevitable. Consequently, this article considers some alternative coatings that show a lot of promise. These include aluminum coatings that are electrodeposited or applied by ion vapor deposition, and an electroplate from a zinc chloride bath. Still another substitute for cadmium is an electrodeposit of a zinc nickel alloy, which has much better corrosion resistance than pure zinc.
