Electrodeposition Study of Silver: Nucleation Process and Theoretical Analysis

A noble metal, silver (Ag), is deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass using an electrochemical deposition technique. The nucleation process and the growth rate of Ag are studied by varying the external potential and/or the concentration of Ag. Kinetic parameters including the density of active sites, the nucleation rate constant, and the diffusion coefficient are determined from the analysis of chronoamperometry data and the Ag morphology. Good agreement is observed between chronoamperometry analysis and the surface morphology. The morphology is observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of the theoretical investigation confirm that this is a progressive process.