Hydrogen Co-deposition Effects on the Structure of Electrodeposited Copper

Abstract

The effects of codeposition of hydrogen on the structure of electrodeposited copper is discussed. The simultaneous hydrogen evolution and codeposition are more extensively studied in the cases of electrodeposition of chromium or iron group of metals and/or alloys. An increased hydrogen evolution during the electrodeposition of metals leads to noticeable changes in mass and heat transfer, limiting current density, and Ohmic resistance. Consequently, the simultaneous hydrogen evolution significantly influences the surface morphology of the deposited copper, thus leading to the formation of open porous structure with extremely high surface area. The honeycomb-like or other different features of the surface morphology, as well as various shapes of electrochemically prepared powders, are correlated to the amount of simultaneously evolved hydrogen during the electrodeposition process. From a practical point of view, due to extremely high surface area, materials prepared in this way can be technologically very useful for applications as electrodes in fuel cells, batteries, or sensors.