skip to content

Thin Film Magnetism Group (TFM)

 

We investigate the effects of denatonium benzoate (Bitrex) on the
electrodeposition of copper films from a boric acid bath using scanning
electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical quartz
microbalance (EQCM) measurements and corrosion studies. In the absence of
Bitrex, pure copper films grown by this method are optically black owing to
the appearance of complex surface nanostructures. The addition of Bitrex
acts as a levelling agent preventing the formation of these nanostructures
even for concentrations as low as 0.02mM producing a lustrous film with low
surface roughness. Bitrex is also found to improve the corrosion resistance
by up to a factor of 20 and increase the current efficiency by over a
factor of two. Bitrex is hypothesised to act directly on the cathode,
partially inhibiting the growth or lowering the deposition current.

Date: 
Thursday, 20 October, 2011 - 14:30 to 15:30
Contact name: 
Kimberly Cole
Contact email: 
Contact phone: 
01223 764822
Event location: 
Mott Seminar Room