Intermetallic compound formed by electrodeposition of indium on antimony

Abstract Indium galvanostatic electrodeposition from aqueous solutions on antimony electrodes has been investigated together with time evolution of the deposit composition. The morphology, composition and structure of the deposit surface and cross-section have been analysed by SEM-EDS and X-ray diffraction both before and after annealing at 70, 110 and 135°C for increasing times. The results showed the formation of InSb, owing to indium diffusion into the bulk of the cathode and to the reaction with antimony. The indium diffusion coefficient in InSb between 25 and 135°C (from 0.1×10 −19 to 2.6×10 −19 m 2 s −1 ) has been estimated from X-ray data and the values of the activation energy (30 kJ mol −1 ) and preexponential factor (1.8×10 −15 m 2 s −1 ) have been determined.