Electrodeposition and nucleation of copper at nitrogen-incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon electrodes in basic ambient temperature chloroaluminate melts

The electrodeposition of copper on the atomically smooth nitrogen-incorpora ted tetrahedral amorphous carbon (taC:N) electrode has been studied in basi c ambient temperature AlCl3/1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloroaluminate mel ts. A high overpotential for nucleation of copper on taC:N and no underpote ntial deposition features are observed, comparable to the behavior of boron -doped diamond electrodes. Electrochemical deposition and stripping of copp er on taC:N show that most of the deposit is anodically dissolved only when the potential reaches that of Cu(I) oxidation in a system in which Cu(I) a nd Cu(II) are both stable. The low density of intrinsic active sites for nu cleation and its early saturation with increasing overpotential are respons ible for the slight deviation from a model of the ideal progressive type of nucleation at high overpotentials. (C) 2001 The Electrochemical Society. A ll rights reserved.