Effect of Bath Temperature on the Phase Composition and Microstructure of Galvanostatic Electrodeposited Cuprous Oxide Films

Polycrystalline Cu₂O films were galvanostatic electrodeposited onto 430 stainless steel substrate and were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of bath temperature on the phase composition, grain size, and surface texture of the electrochemically deposited films was studied. Cu₂O/Cu composite films are deposited at bath pH = 9 and bath temperature lower than 50°C; while pure Cu₂O films are deposited at higher bath temperatures. The cuprous oxide films have (100) preferred orientation. The grain size of the films is found to increase from 0.12μm to 0.65μm with the increase of bath temperature