ABSTRACT The atmospheric immersion copper dissolution method, commonly employed in the current copper foil production process, is confronted with challenges such as low oxidation ability and the formation of passivation layers on the copper surface. These issues result in slow copper dissolution rates, significantly restricting copper foil production. To overcome this limitation, ultrasound is used to improve the copper dissolution process. The impact of ultrasound on the rate and kinetics of copper dissolution in a sulfuric acid solution was studied. Various factors, including ultrasound power, temperature, Cu2+ concentration, sulfuric acid concentration, and air flow rate, were analysed to assess their influence on the rate of copper dissolution. The optimised dissolution conditions were determined to be 30 g/L Cu2+, 120 g/L sulfuric acid, 300 mL/min air flow, 60°C, and 300 W ultrasonic power. The copper dissolution rate is 1.96 times higher when ultrasound is applied compared to conventional conditions. According to the kinetic study, ultrasound reduced the apparent activation energy from 61.12 kJ/mol to 46.44 kJ/mol, significantly lowering the potential barrier for copper dissolution. This study provides valuable insights for accelerating the dissolution process of copper using ultrasound-assisted technology.
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