Influence of decyl glucoside on the electrodeposition of tin

The aim of the present study was to improve an electrochemical deposition bath for tin coating an acidic sulphate medium by addition of decyl glucoside. The effects of this additive on the deposition kinetics were examined by electrochemical methods, namely voltammetry and galvanostatic tin-layer formation, while scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis allowed the determination of the morphological and structural modifications resulting from the addition of this new surface active agent. The presence of the examined additive induced an increase of the activation energy and of the overvoltage of the reduction of stannous ions. From the morphological point of view, a marked decrease in the grain size of the deposit was achieved in the presence of the additive. The preferential crystal growth axes was also changed from Sn (200) without additive to Sn (112) with the additive.