Tadesse, B.Addai Mensah, J.Fornasiero, D.Follink, B.Ralston, J.2025-12-172025-12-172010Chemeca 2010 proceedings: engineering at the edge, 2010, pp.1-109780858259713https://hdl.handle.net/1959.8/119496Electrocrystallization involving the nucleation and growth of crystals at electrochemical solid/solution interfaces is a powerful method for the fabrication of various metallic alloys, semiconductors, magnetic and non-magnetic layers, nano-particles, ultrathin films, and other applications such as electroplating and electrowinning of metals. Although electrocrystallization processes have been studied for long time, a dearth of fundamental knowledge and understanding still persists in the mechanism and kinetics of nucleation and growth of nano-size crystals at aqueous-substrate interfaces. The main objective of the present work is to investigate the effect of applied potential and electrolyte concentration on the nucleation mechanisms and kinetics of electrocrystallization of copper onto glassy carbon and gold electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) were used for electrodeposition investigations facilitating the characterization of the nucleation behaviour. Tapping mode Atomic Force Microscopy imaging revealed the film deposit comprised a plethora of smaller nuclei and higher population density with increasing potential. The nucleation rate correlated positively with the applied potential and current. Diffusion coefficients of Cu2+ions obtained from CV and CA curves are close to values typical of diffusion limited electrodeposition process. The Cu (II) electrocrystallization behaviour was found to be substantially the same for both gold and glassy carbon electrodes.enCopyright 2010 Engineers Australiaelectrocrystallizationcyclic voltammetryatomic force microscopynucleation and growthConference paper