Editing Plating (section)

{{Short description|Surface covering of metal on a conductor}}
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{{For-multi|use in cooking|Food presentation|use in microbiology|Petri dish#Microbiology|the term in geology|Plating (geology)|the term in philately|Plating (philately)}}

'''Plating''' is a finishing process in which a [[metal]] is deposited on a surface. Plating has been done for hundreds of years; it is also critical for modern technology. Plating is used to decorate objects, for corrosion inhibition, to improve solderability, to harden, to improve wearability, to reduce friction, to improve paint adhesion, to alter conductivity, to improve IR reflectivity, for radiation shielding, and for other purposes. [[Jewelry]] typically uses plating to give a [[silver]] or [[gold]] finish.

[[Thin-film deposition]] has plated objects as small as an atom,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kuo|first=Hong-Shi|author2=Hwang, Ing-Shouh |author3=Fu, Tsu-Yi |author4=Lin, Yu-Chun |author5=Chang, Che-Cheng |author6= Tsong, Tien T. |title=Noble Metal/W(111) Single-Atom Tips and Their Field Electron and Ion Emission Characteristics|journal=Japanese Journal of Applied Physics|date=7 November 2006|volume=45|issue=11|pages=8972–8983|doi=10.1143/JJAP.45.8972|bibcode=2006JaJAP..45.8972K}}</ref> therefore plating finds uses in [[nanotechnology]].

There are several plating methods, and many variations. In one method, a solid surface is covered with a metal sheet, and then heat and pressure are applied to fuse them (a version of this is [[Sheffield plate]]). Other plating techniques include [[electroplating]], [[vapor deposition]] under [[vacuum]] and [[sputter deposition]]. Recently, plating often refers to using liquids. [[Metallizing]] refers to coating metal on non-metallic objects.