Effect of solid loading on the electrophoretic deposition kinetics of nano-Pb3O4 coating

Abstract

Due to noticeable composition stability, remarkable photoelectric sensitivity in the visible spectral range, excellent pyroelectric and ferroelectric properties, and high resistivity, red lead (Pb3O4) coatings are widely utilized in various optoelectronic structures and devices. In this work, using ethanol as solvent and nitric acid or polyethyleneimine (PEI) as surface charge modifier, pure nano-Pb3O4 coating was successfully prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) methods. Especially, the suitable service cases for both PEI and nitric acid were investigated in detail. For EPD of nano-Pb3O4 at low solid loading (e.g., 1 g·L−1), employing nitric acid can realize a higher deposition rate than employing PEI. In contrast, for EPD of nano-Pb3O4 at high solid loading (e.g., 10 or 20 g·L−1), PEI is more suitable than nitric acid. This study can lead to advances in assembling Pb3O4 coating for the applications such as advanced optical data carriers and elements of photon technologies and radioelectronics.