Electrodeposition of cobalt with tunable morphology from reverse micellar solution

Electrodeposition of cobalt on a copper electrode was successfully performed from aqueous and reverse micellar solutions of a cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), using constant potential electrolysis method. The potential to be applied for electrodeposition was judged from the cyclic voltammetric behavior of cobalt(II) in aqueous and reverse micellar solutions of CTAB at different compositions. The morphology, dimension, and crystallinity of cobalt deposited onto a copper substrate were evaluated from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction technique. The cobalt deposited on copper from aqueous solution does not show any definite shape and size, while the deposition from reverse micellar solutions occurred with definite shapes such as star-, flower-, and nanorod-like structures depending on the composition. The slow kinetics governed by the reverse micelles associated with the deposition brings about oriented growth of cobalt onto the copper substrate and offers the potential to electrochemically tune cobalt deposit with desirable morphology.