Deposition of zinc of foreign substrates

Abstract

Initial stage of deposition of zinc from buffered zinc sulphate solution (pH = 3.55) was studied using platinum, gold and graphite as substrates. The phenomenon of underpotential deposition, noted by recording potential sweep voltammograms (PSV), was taken as a criterion of the existence and strength of interaction between a substrate and the depositing metal. Strong adhesive interactions (including alloy formation) were found in the case of platinum and gold with indication of the existence of multiple states of zinc atoms at the surface. Graphite exhibited no notable interaction and at cathodic overpotentials a characteristic surface growth loop was recorded in the PSV. The later was submitted to a semiquantitative interpretation assuming instantaneous 3-D nucleation and growth with overlap of growing centres. Kinetics of deposition was investigated under the same conditions using a specially design potential pulse sequence enabling separate estimate of zinc deposition and hydrogen evolution partial currents. Recorded current responses were in line with the hypothesis that the deposition at substrates exhibiting strong interactions proceeds without notable nucleation effects. In the absence of such interactions phenomena typical of three-dimensional nucleation and growth are observed.