Abstract

New features of silver patterns grown in quasi-2D electrochemical cells of parallel plate cathode/anode design utilizing sol and gel aqueous silver plating solutions are reported. Morphology transitions in the silver growth patterns that depend on the composition of plating solutions are observed. These transitions are explained by both a sieving effect due to the presence of agarose and the change in the relative contribution of diffusion and advection to the mass-transport-controlled electrochemical process. Characteristic scaling lengths from growth patterns are related to both the gel structure and the geometry of electrodeposits. Gels consist of a percolated network of gel and randomly distributed colloidal particles, their size and velocity being represented by hyperbolic distribution functions. For silver plating gels a pinning-depinning transition in growth patterns is also observed. From the dynamic scaling analysis of growth pattern 2D profiles, the critical growth and roughness exponent as well as the characteristic lengths of the environment were evaluated. Values of these exponents approach those predicted either by the Kardar, Parisi, and Zhang (KPZ) deterministic equation, or by the cellular automata lattice model that has been proposed for the dynamics of a driven interface in a medium with random pinning forces.

Highlights

  • The growth mode of solid phases is influenced by the characteristics of the substrate, the environment, and the operation routine

  • The growth mode and transitions in the morphology of electrodeposits are influenced by the dominant mass transport mechanism.[6,7,8]

  • Agarose-containing aqueous 0.01 M sulfuric acid is sufficiently stable to be used for a few hours without a noticeable decrease in the flow time determined with a viscometer.[11,13]

Read more

Summary

Introduction

The growth mode of solid phases is influenced by the characteristics of the substrate, the environment, and the operation routine. New solid phases with specific bulk and surface properties, such as crystallographic structure and roughness, and particle shape and size distribution for dispersed materials can be obtained by adjusting the working variables. These problems are of utmost importance in fastdeveloping areas of applied science related to materials science and engineering, for instance, in the conformal electrodeposition of metals[1] and the design of new materials with preestablished properties.[2] To have a reliable fundamental support to these types of processes a key point is to understand the kinetics and mechanism of solid phase formation under a variety of environmental conditions. The growth mode and transitions in the morphology of electrodeposits are influenced by the dominant mass transport mechanism.[6,7,8]

Results
Discussion
Conclusion

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.