Formation of nanocrystalline zinc on ITO and silicon substrates by electrochemical deposition

Zn was deposited by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave pulsating overpotential (OP) methods on ITO (indium tin oxide) and n-doped silicon (n-Si) substrates from an acetate-based electrolyte at two different temperatures in the absence of additives. The surface morphology of the Zn deposits was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The preferred orientation and the average size of the Zn electrodeposited particles on n-Si substrates were obtained by X-ray diffraction and the microhardness of the deposits was measured by standard means. The results show that the grain size of the electrodeposits increases as the temperature rises, and on the other hand that the PO method yields smaller grains and higher hardness values compared with those obtained by CV, irrespective of the temperature. Furthermore, in PO conditions a preferential (101) orientation is obtained for the growth of the Zn electrodeposits, but for long deposition times the growth direction is that [100] corresponding to the basal plane (002).