The effect of dissolved oxygen on the rate of pulsed electrodeposition of copper and bismuth nanowires under the conditions of template synthesis

The effect of dissolved oxygen on the electrodeposition under the conditions of template synthesis (the fabrication of arrays of meso- and nanowires by the electrochemical deposition into the aluminum oxide membranes with pore diameter of 20 to 200 nm, which were coated with a conducting metal on one side) is studied. It is shown that, when the deposition rate is controlled by mass transfer, it can be raised by using the pulsed electrolysis due to additional delivery of electroactive substance during a pause. However, the method is limited by the material corrosion during the pause (this is shown by the examples of copper deposition from the pyrophosphate solution and bismuth deposition from the nitrate solution). By the example of copper deposition from the pyrophosphate electrolyte, it is shown that corrosion proceeds with oxygen depolarization. The electrodeposition in the inert gas atmosphere gives the possibility to raise the deposition rate by several times, and the rate becomes close to the Faradaic one.