Mechanism for formation of fcc-cobalt nanowires in electrodeposition at ambient temperature

Abstract

To understand the mechanism for formation of fcc-cobalt nanowires in electrodeposition, we have studied the effect of deposition potential on the formation of fcc Co nanowires by XRD, SEM and TEM. The Co nanowires deposited at −1.6V are pure hcp phase. The fraction of fcc Co crystals increases with increasing the potential value. At −3.0V, nanowires are pure fcc Co. The formation of fcc Co crystals can be attributed to smaller critical clusters formed at higher potential since the smaller critical clusters favor forming fcc nuclei.