Changes in the growth mode of electrodeposited silver layers : Surface rearrangements induced by the presence of lead adatoms

The surface characteristics of Ag electrodeposits prepared on polyfaceted Pt(sc) electrodes have been followed through complete Pb upd/stripping voltammetry. The growth mode of Ag overlayers at constant temperature depends on both the cathodic electrodeposition overvoltage and the silver ion concentration in solution. Ag surface rearrangements can be induced by either holding the potential or Pb upd/stripping cycling in the potential range where the degree of surface coverage by Pb adatoms is between 0 and 1. The voltammograms of Ag overlayers at the monolayer level show considerable changes compared with those obtained for thicker Ag overlayers. The present results allow us to establish a correlation between the development of rough electrodeposits and the surface diffusion properties of metal atoms.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicada