Pulse electrodeposition of copper selenides from acidic aqueous baths

Copper selenide compounds were synthesized at room temperature by a single-step electrodeposition process on Ti substrate from acidic aqueous solutions of Cu(NO3)(2) and SeO2, employing constant and pulsed potential techniques. The electrochemical behavior of solutions with varying Cu(II)/Se(IV) precursor concentration ratio was investigated by linear sweep voltammetry. The combined effect of bath composition and deposition potential on the crystalline structure, atomic composition and morphology of the obtained deposits was determined. In contrast to potentiostatic deposition, the pulsed potential process allowed facile formation of crystallized copper selenides. Layers composed of a network microstructure of ca. 200 nm-thick CuSe platelets, vertically oriented on the substrate, were produced. (C) 2014 Elsevier BY. All rights reserved.