Kinetics of island growth in the framework of planar diffusion zones and 3D nucleation and growth models for electrodeposition

TL;DR

This paper introduces a theoretical model to analyze the kinetics of island growth during electrodeposition, linking current-time data with nucleation density, nucleus shape, and growth laws, applicable to isotropic and anisotropic cases.

Contribution

It presents a novel theoretical framework that connects electrochemical current measurements with detailed island growth kinetics and morphology.

Findings

Model successfully relates current-time curves to nucleation density and growth laws.

Nucleus shape and aspect ratio significantly influence growth kinetics.

Experimental data from literature support the model's applicability.

Abstract

In the electrochemical deposition of thin films the measurement of the current-time curve does not allow for a direct determination of the nucleus growth law, electrode surface coverage and mean film thickness. In this work we present a theoretical approach suitable to gain insight into these quantities from the knowledge of nucleation density, solution parameters and current-time behavior. The model applies to both isotropic and anisotropic growth rates of nuclei and a study on the effect of nucleus shape and aspect ratio on the kinetics is presented. Experimental results from literature are also discussed in the framework of the present approach.