Ultrastructural studies of electrodeposited copper

Leon Ploscszanski, Ultrastructural studies of electrodeposited copper, 2011

In the course of a galvanic process in an electrolytic bath, copper molecules precipitate on a sheet of paper coated with graphite as a semiconductor. This process is inherently chaotic and can only be controlled to a limited degree. Within the parameters of the experiment, structural variations of copper morphology can be influenced by changing the power source, the surface texture of the paper or by adding a brightening agent. Samples are subsequently examined under the scanning electron microscope. The thickness and the surface structure of the deposited copper primarily determines the colour range of the images (result of the experiment setup). The oxidation of the surface and the detectable copper compounds (Cu2O, CuO,CuSO4, CuCl, CuCN) seem to play a minor role within this context.