In situ atomic force microscopy imaging of electrodeposition of mixed layers of copper/cuprous oxide

In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) was applied to the dynamic characreri zation of the growth of mixed Cu/Cu2O layers obtained by galvanostatic elec trodeposition from alkaline Cu(II) lactate solutions. The correlation of th e cathode potential profile with the average topographic profiles computed from the AFM images provided evidence for two transitions in the deposit gr owth during which the average growth velocity underwent rapid accelerations , the first one corresponding to zero interfacial concentration (Sand's tim e) and the second one to the emergence of the oscillations by a smooth tran sition. Despite its temporal resolution, the AFM technique could not captur e the details of a single oscillation, but it proved to be quite adequate f or tracking the general evolution of the electrode surface. (C) 1999 The El ectrochemical Society. S0013-4651(99)05-034-X. All rights reserved.