Saturation nucleus density in the electrodeposition of metals onto inert electrodes I. Theory

Abstract

On the basis of the general theory of the kinetics of nucleation at active centres developed by Markov and Kashchiev, the particular case of the electrolytic formation of metallic nuclei under potentiostatic conditions on the surface of inert ideally polarisable electrodes is considered. The influence of the electrolyte concentration on the induction period, the steady state nucleation rate and the saturation nucleus density is analysed in the two timiting cases where the saturation nucleus density is determined by (i) the number of energetically preferred active centres on the electrode surface and (ii) the overlapping of nucleation exclusion zones.