Abstract
The electrodeposition of copper on the atomically smooth nitrogen-incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon (taC:N) electrode has been studied in basic ambient temperature AICl3/l-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloroaluminate melts. A high overpotential for nucleation of copper on taC:N and no underpotential deposition features are observed, comparable to the behavior of boron-doped diamond electrodes. Electrochemical deposition and stripping of copper on taC:N show that most of the deposit is anodically dissolved only when the potential reaches that of Cu(I) oxidation in a system in which Cu(I) and Cu(II) are both stable. The low-density of intrinsic active sites for nucleation and its early saturation with increasing overpotential are responsible for the slight deviation from a model of the ideal progressive type of nucleation at high overpotentials.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | C183-C190 |
Journal | Journal of the Electrochemical Society |
Volume | 148 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2001 |