Effects of anions on the zinc electrodeposition onto glassy-carbon electrode

The zinc electrodeposition onto glassy-carbon electrode from the sulfate, chloride and acetate solutions is examined using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The surface morphology of zinc deposited films is observed by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that all mechanisms of the zinc electrocrystallization on glassy-carbon electrode in the three solutions follow the same three-dimensional instantaneous nucleation and growth. The anions mainly affect the nucleation densities during zinc deposition, which results in different surface morphology. In the presence of acetate and chloride ions, the deposited zinc film tends to grow in a multi-layered pattern, while in sulfate solution the zinc deposition forms irregular grains.