Ms. Nikolova et al., ELECTROCHEMICAL FABRICATION OF SHARP NICKEL TIPS IN H2SO4 SOLUTIONS, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 144(2), 1997, pp. 455-460
Electrochemical sharpening of metal wires can be achieved by rapid etc
hing in the electropolishing regime. The electropolishing of nickel in
H2SO4 glycerine/water solutions was found to be associated with the f
ormation of a salt film at the surface. The shape of the tips was foun
d to be dependent on the etching conditions: low aspect ratio tips wer
e obtained in solutions with high resistivity, whereas high aspect rat
io tips were produced in solutions with lower resistivity.