Influence of synthesis parameters on composition and morphology of electrodeposited Zn-Sb thin films

Electrochemistry of Thin Films and Nanostructured Materials

In the last few decades, the development and use of thin films and nanostructured materials to enhance physical and chemical properties of materials has been common practice in the field of materials science and engineering. The progress which has recently been made in tailoring the unique properties of thin films and nanostructured materials, such as a high surface area to volume ratio, surface charge, structure, anisotropic nature, and tunable functionalities, allow expanding the range of their possible applications from mechanical, structural, and protective coatings to electronics, energy storage systems, sensing, optoelectronics, catalysis, and biomedicine. Recent advances have also focused on the importance of electrochemistry in the fabrication and characterization of functional thin films and nanostructured materials, as well as various systems and devices based on these materials. Both cathodic and anodic processes are being extensively developed in order to elaborate new procedures and possibilities for the synthesis and characterization of thin films and nanostructured materials.

Accelerated Life Testing of a Palladium-Doped Tin Oxide Electrode for Zn Electrowinning

Electrowinning is a technique that can be used to obtain high-purity elements through electrolysis. The degradation of accelerated life testing for Pd-based electrodes is discussed in this study. The lifetime of the electrodes was examined by multiplying the acceleration rate with the current to measure the voltage of the electrodes. The acceleration rate was set to 10, 20, and 30 times. Four components were deposited on the TiO₂ plate. The ratio of Ir to Sn was fixed at 1:1, while Ta was deposited at 10 wt.%. Pd was deposited at 2, 4, 8 and 10 wt.% to create Pd-Ir/Sn-Ta. The initial voltage decreased as the Pd deposition amount increased irrespective of the acceleration rate. The lower the acceleration rate, the lower the voltage. An increase in the Pd content caused the initial voltage to be low. The multiple of the acceleration rate slightly increased for all cases of life testing for one year. When the test was conducted by increasing the current density by 20 times, the increase in voltage was proportional to the Pd deposition amount. However, for the 30 times acceleration rate, the lifetime of the electrodes was shortened as the Pd content increased. It can be inferred that the content of Pd and the ratio of Ir to Sn can influence the lifetime of the electrodes. According to these results, if the multiple of the acceleration rate is too extreme, the lifetime of the electrodes cannot be evaluated because they are damaged in an extreme situation.