Electrochemical Deposition of Zinc Sulfide from a Na2SO3-Based Electrolyte

Aspects of electrochemical deposition of zinc sulfide from an aqueous electrolyte based on sodium sulfite and zinc sulfate are addressed, and conditions for electrochemical synthesis of ZnS films are identified. The range of potentials for ZnS deposition is demonstrated to be limited by the potential at which the current reaches the critical value associated with diffusion-limited electrochemical reduction of the sulfite ion. The synthesized films are found to contain excess sulfur, which can be removed by thermal treatment to obtain stoichiometrically correct films. A reaction mechanism leading to the formation of zinc sulfide is proposed.